ANN ARBOR, Mich., March 19 (UPI) -- Michigan-based Domino's Pizza Inc. is rumored to be featured on NBC's "The Apprentice," but it cannot confirm it because of a gag order.
One of the "Apprentice"-oriented Web sites -- theapprenticeblog.com -- said the nation's second-largest pizza maker will be featured March 31, with the show's competitors given the task of creating a new style of pizza and then selling it on the streets of Manhattan, the Detroit Free Press reported Saturday.
Industry insiders say several brand-name companies have paid an estimated $2 million to $3,5 million to be included in the plot lines of the Donald Trump reality TV series. It's a bargain for the companies, since they don't have to pay for market research or advertising for the new product.
"You not only get the product, you get a pitch," said Robert Thompson, director of the Center for the Study of Pop Television at Syracuse University in New York. "Donald Trump speaks like a commercial."
After Trump's two teams competed to develop a sandwich for Burger King earlier this season, the very next day, the winning Western Angus Steak Burger was on menus in all 7,800 Burger King restaurants nationwide.
