• by Karlene Lukovitz , January 5, 2009

Domino's, which launched oven-baked $4.99 sub sandwiches last August to go directly up against Subway's $5 foot-long subs, is now running a TV campaign that aggressively takes on the leader.

The Crispin Porter + Bogusky campaign, which runs through late January, humorously dramatizes the finding that three-quarters of consumers in a recent national taste test preferred the Domino's sandwiches to Subway's.

Domino's is the clear underdog in this battle. Still, the campaign seems to be moving the needle a bit for the chain that is much better known for pizza, according to BrandIndex, which tracks consumer brand perceptions on a daily basis.

On Dec. 29, the day the campaign launched, Domino's overall brand health index--a combination of seven different consumer perception factors tracked by BrandIndex--was 2.8 versus Subway's 43.7. Three days later, on Jan. 1, Domino's overall index was up to 7.9--although Subway's was also up a bit, to 46. (Any score above zero represents a positive perception, and any score under zero represents a negative perception.)

Looking at the more specific indices, on the value score (Does it give good value for what you pay?), Domino's index jumped from 9.1 to 19.4 over the three days, while Subway's rose from 47.4 to 48.7.

Domino's quality ranking leaped from -6.6 to 7, as Subway's declined from 53.4 to 46.3.

On general impression (Do you have a generally positive feeling about the brand?), Domino's rose from 11 to 18.2--although Subway rose more, from 47.1 to 57.4.

In loyalty (Would you recommend the brand to a friend?), Domino's rose from 4.3 to 5.1, while Subway declined from 54.9 to 52.2.

On buzz--the percentage of consumers who have heard recent positive news about a brand minus the percentage who have heard recent negative news--Domino's ranking jumped from 4.7 to 17.5. Subway's buzz declined from 37.4 to 35.6.

Domino's mindshare (consumers who have heard anything, positive or negative, about the brand in the last two weeks) rose from 26.5 to 29.4, and Subway's rose from 48.8 to 52.4.

However, Domino's corporate reputation score (Which brands would you be proud or embarrassed to work for?) dipped from -9.5 to -9.7, while Subway's rose from 6.3 to 15.6. Also, Domino's satisfaction index (Are you a satisfied customer?) dipped from 7.5 to 6, while Subway's rose from 51.4 to 54.4.

BrandIndex tracks more than 1,000 consumer brands, gathering opinions on the seven brand-health indicators on a daily basis from 5,000 U.S. adults drawn from an online panel of more than 1 million. The margin of error is +/- 2%.