In Russia, Domino’s recently offered a lifetime’s supply of pizza in return for another lifelong commitment: A tattoo of the Domino’s logo, with proof uploaded to Instagram, hash-tagged #dominosforever.
The terms of the promotion—designed to run for two months—said that anyone who got inked would get up to 100 pizzas per year for a century—that’s 10,000 pies. But after an overwhelming response and 381 qualified applications within four days, the company had to withdraw the promotion.
The Wall Street Journal points out that freebies are especially appealing in Russia because of a legacy of scarcity dating back to the Soviet era and to the economic hardships of the 1990s. And since average disposable incomes are around just $500 per month, two centimeters of skin is not a high price to pay for so much free food.
Domino’s isn’t the first brand to offer free goods in return for a tattoo but the more recent association of tattoos with American hipster culture in Russia, rather than criminal gangs, probably helped boost the campaign’s success.
Here’s a selection of the Domino’s designs Russians made a part of their lives: