Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
by Kimberly Smith
Published on 9/15/2009
The company-posted video also quickly propelled the story into mainstream US news, then global media, starting with the BBC and
working its way onto Chinese National Television, then Australia and Perumarkets where Domino's doesn't even have stores. A
company analysis reckoned 60 million media impressions.
Nevertheless, although the company's video response triggered widespread awareness, it also served to change the story in the
company's favor.
"On Monday, for the 100,000 people who first saw the [employee] video, the story was 'look at these disgusting people at Domino's.'
Then it became 'what is Domino's doing about it?' When we posted our video, the story morphed into 'how can companies protect
themselves in a YouTube world,' with Domino's cited as a company who is handling this crisis," McIntyre said.
Since then, the company has been contacted on multiple occasions by other organizations seeking advice on how to prepare
themselves for similar crises.
That's not to say the company did not suffer a setback. "A lot of people got hurt those first couple weeks. [Franchisees'] sales suffered.
We reported flat to slightly positive sales in the second quarter, but had this not happened we probably would have had more positive
sales," said McIntyre.
Nonetheless, McIntyre reports that the company's stock price was not affected, and the chain received top honors in the annual
American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) in May.
Lessons Learned
Line up your ducks ahead of time
Although every crisis is unique and no protocol will fit every occasion, it pays to follow the Boy Scout mantra and always be prepared,
particularly in a world where social media and the Internet enable things to spiral at the speed of light.
It was fortunate for Domino's that it already had a social media team in place to respond as needed, and well-trained staff throughout
the company able to quickly take up the tasks at hand. It was also advantageous that senior management had consented to trust its
people to do what was right and not hold things up with boardroom-style meetings.
Perhaps most importantly, Domino's had already-established, deeply ingrained customer loyalties that worked to countermand
consumer doubts even before the issue had been resolved.
"People will do a mental balancing act of 'here's this video, but here's my personal experience with this brand,' and 99% of them said,
'man, that's screwed up.' They saw it for what it was, that the target of derision should be these two people and not Domino's," McIntyre
observed.
Do what you can to curb the propagation
By initially responding only within the forums where the story was already unleashed, Domino's was able to keep the issue somewhat
manageable until it had a better understanding of what had happened and could begin taking steps to rectify the situation.
Even after the news hit mainstream, when Domino's had its story straight and was able to showcase itself as a company taking action,
it turned down every request from the talk-show circuit to appear on televisiona conscious refusal to have its president and brand
featured alongside the original video, which of course would have to be shown to viewers. McIntyre said every outlet, although regretful,
claimed to understand. CNN's Anderson Cooper decided to drop the story altogether rather than perpetuate the notoriety of the two exemployees.
In the end, 60 million media impressions was certainly more than the company bargained for; however, in McIntyre's view, that was a
dignified accomplishment in that 250 million or more of the remaining US population may never have heard about the video.
Be honest and state your case
Never try to hide that the incident occurred, however. As recent history shows, social media has a way of eventually bringing the story
out, and it is better that the company be seen as forthright in its dealings.
Although Domino's sought to limit the conversation to the forums where it was already taking place, the company did respond to every
incoming query. And it responded openly and truthfully, off the cuff, with criticism against the perpetrators and contending that it had
been victimizedand always understanding that whatever was said would ultimately find its way into the public arena.
Plus, by issuing the video response detailing how it was handling the crisis, it avoided becoming "that company"the one that doesn't
understand social media and how to operate in the digital world. Instead, it became a model to follow.
Continue with 'business as usual'
Some around the country felt that suspending all advertising and lying low for a few months would have been the best action for
Domino's to take under the circumstances. McIntyre disagreed wholeheartedly.
"We're a retail brand. Our product is indulgent and purchased spontaneously, so we need to remain top of mind. Our sales are driven
by awareness, and we can't afford not to advertise," he responded to those who posed such a solution, before going on to remind them
that the Domino's brand had been victimized and was not deserving of blame.
Rather than making a major change, the involved store was sanitized from top to bottom and quickly reopened for business; the
company kept running its existing ads, with no mention of "we're sorry" or "please come back"; and the chain followed through with the
planned launch of a new pasta menu just weeks later.
"Our perspective is that the more you behave as if things are normal, the quicker you are going to return to normalcy," McIntyre
explained.
And that strategy has panned out. "We're almost back to normal. We're back to who we are, with a little more experience and
understanding of how to handle things in this new universe," McIntyre concluded.
How have you leveraged social media for crisis management? Email your story to CaseStudies@MarketingProfs.com.