Domino's App feat. Hatsune Miku

Domino's App feat. Hatsune Miku[lower-alpha 1] is a discontinued food delivery app released exclusively in Japan that was developed by Kayac and hosted by Domino's Pizza. Launched in March 2013, the app was a collaboration between Domino's Pizza Japan and Crypton Future Media, the creators and developers of the Vocaloid software voicebank Hatsune Miku.[1] The app's functions were similar to the traditional Domino's App but had additional features themed around Hatsune Miku.[2] The service became an Internet meme after a commercial for the service went viral on YouTube.[3]

Domino's App feat. Hatsune Miku
Official cover art for the service, showing Hatsune Miku holding an iPhone 5
DeveloperKayac
TypeFood delivery
Launch dateMarch 7, 2013
Operating system(s)iOS
StatusDiscontinued
Websitemiku.dominos.jp (archived)

Features
A Hatsune Miku-branded delivery scooter used during the collaboration

Domino's App feat. Hatsune Miku was similar to the previously released Domino's App, but with Hatsune Miku branding and themes. Through the app, users could order pizzas, listen to songs composed by Domino's Pizza Japan employees using Vocaloid,[4] and take pictures with Miku using augmented reality.[5] During certain timeframes, pizzas ordered through the app would be delivered in Miku-themed pizza boxes, which could be scanned in the app to summon an augmented reality Miku.[2] The app's tracking features were also themed around Miku; the GPS was changed to feature Miku and Vocaloid music was used to alert customers of their order's status.[6] Some pizzas ordered through the app were delivered on Miku-branded scooters.[4]

Development and release

Domino's App feat. Hatsune Miku was developed and planned by the joint-stock corporation Kayac,[1][7] and was published by the Japanese subsidiary of the pizza chain Domino's Pizza, Domino's Pizza Japan. In fall 2012, some employees of Domino's Pizza Japan were tasked with composing songs using the Hatsune Miku software bank, a selection of which were later used in the app.[8][9]

The app was released on March 7, 2013,[5] one day after the commercial for the service had been released.[10] An update to the app was released in July.[1] The app was removed from the App Store following the iOS 11 update, which got rid of all 32-bit applications from iOS devices.[11]

Sales during the lifetime of Domino's App feat. Hatsune Miku exceeded expectations; according to Domino's Pizza Japan, sales were twice what they had forecast.[12] Six days after the service's launch, all Hatsune Miku-themed boxes were sold out throughout Japan; they were restocked later that month.[6]

Marketing

On March 6, 2013, the day before its release, a commercial for the app was uploaded to YouTube by Domino's Pizza Japan. This features the then-president and CEO of Domino's Pizza Japan, Scott Oelkers, discussing and describing the app. The commercial features Japanese subtitles but Oelkers speaks in English, unlike his previous appearances in Domino's Pizza commercials in which he had spoken in the language of the target audiences.[13] The commercial went viral and had over 230 thousand views shortly after its release.[10] By the time it was removed from the Domino's Pizza Japan YouTube channel in around March 2018,[10] it had been viewed over 1 million times.[14]

Brian Ashcraft of Kotaku wrote that Oelkers would "totally weird you out" and that the commercial was "rather strange."[13] VentureBeat's Sean Ludwig called the commercial "amazingly bad", noting how Oelkers's attempt to generate excitement about the app "fell flat", but he also thought that if a viewer did not understand English then the commercial may not be "as terrible".[10] The app won an award at the 12th Mobile Advertising Awards in 2013 for its marketing.[12]

Notes
  1. (Japanese: 「Domino's App feat. 初音ミク」)

References
  1. Sakamoto, Junko (July 16, 2013). "「初音ミクBOX」でピザが届く--「Domino's App feat.初音ミク」がバージョンアップ". CNET Japan (in Japanese). CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  2. Green, Scott (March 6, 2013). "Hatsune Miku Helps You Order Domino's Pizza with New App". Crunchyroll. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  3. Edwards, Jim (March 9, 2013). "Weird, Awkward Domino's Japan Ad Is Going Viral For All The Wrong Reasons". Business Insider. Axel Springer SE. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  4. Henderson, Rik (March 8, 2013). "Hatsune Miku struts her stuff on Domino's pizza boxes, thanks to iPhone app". Pocket-lint. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  5. "細部まで初音ミク仕様！ドミノ・ピザとのコラボアプリ「Domino's App feat. 初音ミク」". ITmedia (in Japanese). March 8, 2013. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  6. Mertz, Joanne (March 12, 2013). "Domino's Hatsune Miku Pizza Boxes Sells Out". Anime News Network. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  7. "'Domino's App feat. HATSUNE MIKU' has been much talked about!". Kayac. March 13, 2013. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
  8. "初音ミクのARライブをお届け！ ドミノ・ピザがコラボアプリを提供". ITmedia (in Japanese). March 7, 2013. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  9. Domino's Pizza Japan Co., Ltd. (March 7, 2013). "ドミノ・ピザと初音ミクがまさかのコラボ!? iPhone App 「Domino's App feat. 初音ミク」配信開始 ＜2013年3月7日（木）～＞". CNET Japan (in Japanese). CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  10. Ludwig, Sean (March 8, 2013). "Video ad for Domino's Japanese iPhone app is the worst thing you'll see today". VentureBeat. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  11. Funnell, Rob (September 20, 2017). "A List of the Best iPhone Games That Will Die With iOS 11: Your Guide to the 32-Bit Appocalypse". TouchArcade. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  12. "第4回 キャンペーン開始1カ月で目標の5倍のオーダー――ドミノ・ピザ ジャパンの初音ミクプロジェクトが成功した理由". ITmedia Marketing (in Japanese). November 12, 2012. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  13. Ashcraft, Brian (March 7, 2013). "A Truly Bizarre Domino's Pizza Commercial". Kotaku. Gawker Media. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  14. "ドミノ・ピザ's YouTube Stats (Summary Profile)". Social Blade. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
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