Last year, Domino’s Pizza ran a promotion for a few months wherein participants in their rewards program could earn points toward a free pizza by taking photos… of pizza. It makes sense: Eat pizza, earn pizza. The twist was that Domino’s didn’t care what pizza you took a picture of, they just wanted you to take a picture of any pizza available to you. That means Bagel Bites, homemade pizza, high school cafeteria pizza, a competitor’s pizza… all of it would earn you points toward your free pizza at one of their restaurants. When I read about this online, I thought, “Why wouldn’t they require that you eat their pizza?” It was clearly an intentional decision made by the marketing team at Domino’s Pizza, but it wasn’t immediately obvious why they were willing to give free pizza away to people who weren’t even eating their pizza, to people who might not even really like their pizza.
But, that’s exactly the thing: They recognized that it doesn’t really matter whose pizza the participants are regularly eating. They recognized that if they’re going to attract new customers or entice a previous customer to return, the most likely potential customer is one that already loves eating pizza, not one that doesn’t really care about pizza. So they reminded those pizza-eaters that they’re pro-pizza, no matter whose pizza it is. They put their money where their mouth is and rewarded pizza lovers for already supporting the pizza industry. Then everyone held hands and sang of world peace….za.
I think there’s a lesson here. Clearly Domino’s believed that this promotional strategy would be profitable for them in long run or they would not have implemented it. They have plenty of pizza to give away, sure, so it’s not a huge expense on their part to hand out a few pies to the most committed pizza-eaters. They also likely knew that making a statement in support of any and all consumption of pizza would create buzz and instill a perception of benevolent, selfless pizza advocacy in the mind of the consumer. It would be like a major musical performer giving away free concert tickets to a couple of fans who had attended and supported a bunch of other live music performances. It’s a matter of making it very clear what you stand for and understanding that sometimes the greater good is above and beyond your own immediate interests, but that supporting the greater good also supports all other areas involved.
Maybe you see where I am going with this.
Within the nudist and naturist community, national organizations are a bit concerned at the moment with the overall health of their clubs and membership numbers, and that’s not a surprise to anyone. I think for some, though, the touted belief and interest in the longevity of nudism and naturism as a lifestyle can come across a bit disingenuous in the context of a perceived heightened emphasis on rescuing dilapidated clubs with dwindling visitorship. To be clear, I am not saying any of this to be critical of any national nudist or naturist organization. They’re all doing what they can and are passionate about their causes. In crisis mode, it’s natural to aim your attention at the areas in the most immediate danger.
So, back to pizza. How does this relate to pizza? What Domino’s Pizza did is recognize that all pizza is good pizza, not just the pizza you buy from them. The more people out there buying and eating pizza, the more likely they are to benefit from those consumers; the more demand there is for pizza, the more profits there are to share. The same idea is true for nudism and naturism. In the long run, of course we need to pay attention to the success of nudist clubs, but we won’t increase demand for nude recreation by focusing all of our energy on directing people to clubs and resorts that are not easily accessible for most people. We can, however, increase demand for nude recreation by supporting and promoting it wherever it already occurs or where people are already interested in it.
I think it might be tempting to turn a blind eye to nude and clothing-optional beaches simply because they might, theoretically, detract potential paying visitors away from clubs that need as much support as they can get. After all, if a product is offered for free over there, how can we sell it over here? I’ve said it before and I will say it again: I’ve always seen vastly greater numbers at nude beaches than I’ve seen at clubs. There’s already demand there, and there’s a real need for nude beaches and other ad hoc gatherings. Those free spaces are entry points for so many new nudists and naturists. I think perhaps we also need to be careful here to avoid looking at the right to be nude as a raw commodity to be sold. Yes, clubs and organizations need to bring in funds to remain financially solvent, but if we really believe in nudist rights, we should be averse to accepting and potentially profiting off of limited access.
If we want to invest in the longevity of nudism and naturism as ideals, we need to promote it even when it doesn’t make us money or benefit us directly. In so many cities and states, nudity is criminalized. So many places don’t have a single place to enjoy social nudity at all, let alone free or low-cost social nudity. Nude beaches have been lost. People are being penalized for being nude in their own backyard or inside their own home. Wouldn’t it be beneficial to the nudist and naturist movement as a whole, including for landed clubs that are struggling to survive, to promote, advance, and reward social nudity anywhere that people are interested in it? Unfortunately, while Domino’s is in a great place to give away free pizza, I think nudist and naturist organizations are in a pinch here because they can’t really afford to spread themselves thinner or involve themselves in affairs beyond the club walls. On the other hand, can they afford not to? That’s worth some serious consideration.
Long story short, all nudism is good nudism, not just the nudism you pay for. The more people out there enjoying social nudity, the more people there are that will want to visit a landed club or resort; the more demand and interest there is for social nudity, the more potential participants and members there are to promote the overall cause… and even to contribute to it financially. On top of all that, getting ahead of the movement and showing up to support all social nudity wherever it occurs would be a really, really good look for any national organization forward-thinking enough to embrace it and attach their name to it. Finally, yes, let’s make sure that we save the clubs and resorts, but let’s also consider that part or most of that solution lies outside of the clubs themselves.
Almostwild 