Communication Theory: Dodo Pizza

The brand «Dodo Pizza» was chosen for analysis due to its unconventional positioning in the fast-food market. Unlike traditional delivery chains, Dodo Pizza positions itself as a «technology company that makes pizza». The brand’s core idea lies in transparency, process automation, and openness of business metrics. This positioning is reflected across all of the company’s communication channels.

The brand’s target audience is segmented into two main groups. The first group is families with children aged 25–40, for whom delivery speed, consistent quality, and an understandable ordering interface are critically important. The second group consists of young professionals aged 18–30, working in the IT environment, who value humor, memes, and innovation. It is for these two segments that the brand builds its communication strategy, actively using visual imagery and dialogue formats on social media.

Dodo Pizza is present in several key digital channels. The main channels are Telegram and VK, where company news, internal statistics, memes, as well as detailed posts with business insights from the founder are published. On TikTok (@dodo_pizza), the brand focuses on entertainment content: short viral videos, pranks, challenges involving couriers.

The brand’s PR strategies include three key elements. First, a policy of complete transparency: data on revenue and number of orders for each branch is published in real-time on the dodopizza.ru website. Second, the personal PR of the founder, who acts as a public opinion leader in the field of technological entrepreneurship. Third, the active use of user-generated content (UGC), where customers film videos with the brand’s products and receive public recognition on official accounts in return.

Two theories studied during the course are applied to analyze the chosen brand's communication.

The first theory is the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM), proposed by Petty and Cacioppo (1986). This theory argues that persuasion can follow two routes: central (requiring conscious processing of arguments) and peripheral (based on heuristics, visual images, and emotions). Regarding visual persuasion in fast food, the hypothesis is that the peripheral route will dominate.

The second theory is the Uses and Gratifications Theory (UGT), developed by Katz, Blumler, and Gurevitch (1973). This theory shifts the focus from the question «what do media do to people» to the question «what do people do with media». Audience needs can include obtaining information, socialization, entertainment, and personal identification. The analysis will determine which specific needs Dodo Pizza’s content fulfills.

The visual imagery used by the brand is almost entirely oriented towards the peripheral route of information processing. As proof, consider a screenshot of a post from the official Pinterest community. The image shows a close-up of a pizza with a stretching cheese strand against a warm orange-red background. The post has no text — it is unimportant here. No rational arguments about ingredients, calories, or delivery times are provided.

From an ELM perspective, this post activates peripheral cues: bright colors («aesthetic appeal»). The viewer requires no cognitive effort to make a decision — an emotional impulse leads to the desire «I want that pizza». This is an effective strategy for a low-involvement product.

The Uses and Gratifications Theory helps explain why the audience actively comments, reposts, and creates content around the brand, even when not making a purchase. Let’s analyze three pieces of visual evidence.

A screenshot of a poll in the Telegram channel asks: «Which Winx Club fairy are you?». The post generated over 1000 comments; users argue, defend positions, and create inside jokes. The brand acts not as a seller, but as a community moderator, providing a platform for discussion. According to UGT, people use this post not so much for product information but to communicate with peers.

Here, two needs are fulfilled simultaneously: the informational need (the user learns a fact from the brand's history) and socialization (they can discuss in the comments why they were wrong or guessed correctly).