First, Dove used pictures of supposedly un-retouched average-sized women in its "Real Beauty" ad campaign. Now here comes Domino's Pizza ready to show off pictures of... un-retouched pizzas.

Domino's says it's not engaged in a cheesy imitation (sorry) of Dove's campaign. Instead, the company says it's just expanding upon its "Pizza Turnaround" which was launched late last year. In that advertising campaign, Domino's CEO Patrick Doyle and several employees read through a series of customer complaints about "cardboard" crusts and sauce that "tastes like ketchup." In response, Domino's totally reinvented its pizza, with a new crust, new cheese and a bolder taste.

The mea culpa approach worked so well that Domino's is doing it again -- this time by refraining to use "fancy food artistry or fake food touch-ups" with its photos.



"It is the next chapter in this approach," said Chris Brandon, manager of public relations for the pizza giant. Forgoing the usual food "modeling" provides a transparency in Domino's ads that will let customers see for themselves what they will get when they order a pie, he said.

As part of the new campaign, the company is hosting a contest, asking customers to submit pictures of their Domino's pizza -- au naturale, of course.

The pictures will go on a Show Us Your Pizza web page and four winners will be chosen. The prize: $500 each -- enough to buy plenty of Domino's pizzas -- and the photos will be featured in Domino's advertisements.

Brandon said the new approach to food photography will lend authenticity to the company's advertisements and show customers that the company is continuing to be honest and transparent about its business. He said Domino's is the first quick service restaurant that will be using un-retouched pictures in its ads.

"The ultimate reason is try to put our money where our mouth is," he said. "We want to make sure that consumers can see and upload real photos [and] see the real thing."