Domino is a word that describes a series of events or actions that cascade one after another. It can also refer to the game of dominoes, in which players set up a line of dominoes that eventually topple with the slightest nudge.
There are many different games that can be played with dominoes, and each requires a slightly different strategy. For example, in the block game for two players, each player starts with a single tile and then adds matching ones to either end of that piece, extending the chain until it is the desired length. Then, each player plays a domino that matches the end of the chain with a number showing on both ends (one’s touching one’s, two’s touching two’s, etc.). When a player cannot play a domino, they pass. The winner is determined by a score calculated from the number of remaining pips in the losing player’s hand.
In the beginning, Domino’s was known for its pizza, which Monaghan marketed by emphasizing delivery times and placing outlets near college campuses. It wasn’t long before the company had grown from a small operation in Ypsilanti to over 200 locations by 1978. But then, Domino’s started losing market share to competitors. And by 2004, Domino’s was more than $943 million in debt. The previous CEO had been unable to stabilize the business, and new CEO Dave Brandon knew something had to change.
Fortunately, for Domino’s and its customers, Brandon didn’t just make superficial changes to the company. He also made changes to its culture and business model, emphasizing training and customer service. More importantly, he started a campaign to modernize the image of the brand by adding pizza to the menu and experimenting with new delivery options like drones and vehicles that could automatically order and deliver Domino’s orders.
Domino’s is now in its best financial shape ever, with record profits and plans for 25,000 global locations by 2025. And the latest Domino’s campaign is a good example of this new approach to business: Instead of focusing on a specific product, the campaign promotes the company’s commitment to innovation and its people.
Domino’s isn’t the only company that’s trying to shake things up with a little bit of creativity. Take, for instance, Hevesh, a 21-year-old who builds spectacular domino sets on YouTube and at live shows around the world. She’s worked on projects that involve hundreds of thousands of dominoes, and some of her larger installations can take several nail-biting minutes to fall. Hevesh says that she’s able to create her impressive creations because dominoes have inertia, or the tendency to stay put when no outside force is pushing or pulling on them. A tiny nudge can be enough to tip them over, and once they do, their potential energy is unleashed. That’s what Hevesh calls the Domino Effect.