The trend: Domino’s and Pizza Hut both recently refreshed their brands.

• Domino’s on Wednesday rolled out its first refresh in 13 years, featuring a bolder logo with brighter colors, new employee uniforms and pizza boxes, and redesigned restaurant signage, along with its first jingle—performed by country star Shaboozey.
• Pizza Hut also recently revamped its look, keeping its signature red roof but adopting a tighter font, with the Zs in “Pizza” sloping into “Hut.” The logo is now entirely red, replacing the previous red-and-black design.

Why now? Both makeovers are evolutionary, not revolutionary, which is the right approach for brands that want to modernize their look without alienating customers. As Cracker Barrel’s recent botched rebrand showed, that balance is easier said than done.

However, the two pizza chains are approaching these changes from different positions.

• Domino’s is refreshing its look from a position of strength, with US same-store sales up 3.4% in Q2 and rising market share.
• Pizza Hut, by contrast, is refreshing amid decline, as same-store sales fell 5% over the same period.

Our take: Brand refreshes tend to be contagious. Once one major player makes a change, the rest usually follow, which is why it’s smarter to move first than risk falling behind. That’s especially true in competitive categories like pizza, where brands fight for every bit of attention. When a big name updates its look, it resets what consumers expect almost instantly. What once felt familiar can suddenly seem dated, pushing rivals to react or risk looking out of touch.

But not all refreshes are created equal. The challenge is making sure the new look actually feels modern and forward-looking—not just different for the sake of it. A strong refresh balances familiarity with freshness. It nods to the brand’s roots while looking ahead, proving that the brand knows how to change just enough to stay timeless.

Go further: Listen to the recent episode of “Reimagining Retail” “How (Not) to Rebrand.”