WorkInProgress made TikTok users’ hearts stop for a moment with a video for Domino’s that looks like an all-too-familiar notification.
The TikTok TopView ad—a video ad that is shown to users immediately upon opening the app—for the brand’s $9.99 any pizza promotion is just a regular video. But the graphic in the video looks just like that alarming notification that appeared on Jan. 19 when TikTok temporarily went lights-out for U.S. users. That infamous notification read, “Sorry, TikTok isn’t available right now,” followed by finer print about the legal challenges to the app.
The Domino’s video shows a rounded square of the same size, with the same color scheme, same positioning and same fonts. Although it says “Sorry, TikTok. This deal won’t last long” (followed by details about the deal), it jarred users with flashbacks to the day when it seemed TikTok would be permanently removed from U.S. app stores.
And users responded predictably. Comments and reaction videos flooded in as viewers expressed their post-terror relief, and—for the most part at least—they praised the ban for snagging their attention. TikTok users love a well-executed prank.
The video, which ran as a TopView video on Feb. 13, is currently sitting at about 80,000 likes and 34,000 shares, with more rolling in as it lives on as a standard paid ad, accompanying a related 15-second TV spot.
Bravo, you fiends.
Jess Zafarris is the author of two books, Once Upon a Word and Words from Hell, with a third forthcoming in 2025. She has contributed to three other books on topics such as social media and gaming. In the past year, she has been quoted in The New York Times and The Guardian, profiled in The Boston Globe, and interviewed on NPR and BBC World Service Radio. She speaks at conferences about writing careers and social media strategy. After 15 years in B2B and enthusiast media, she went independent to write and create content for organizations including Dictionary.com, PR Daily, Writer’s Digest, and Indie Agency News, as well as a host of communications and advertising agencies. Her podcast, Words Unravelled, has reached more than 2.5 million listeners, and her etymology videos are followed more than 100,000 word lovers.
