In 2009, a YouTube video and many news outlets, Domino's in the News!, showed two Domino’s Pizza employees doing undesirable things to food that was about to be delivered to their customers. Needless to say, the video went viral. Domino’s was then facing a huge problem, and had to pull out their crisis management plan to improve their newly acquired reputation.
Domino’s launched a public relations campaign titled “The Pizza Turnaround,” as shown in the Cooking Up a New PR Campaign analysis. The campaign was in result of the back lash Domino’s received around a year after the YouTube incident. The viral video created a spiral of bad publicity. Domino’s CEO apologized on Twitter for the appalling video, but people responded by hashing Domino’s company, reputation, and its products. There had to be a way for Domino’s to regain its strength.
“The Pizza Turnaround” targeted all people of all ages. The campaign was designed to show everyone that Domino’s admits its faults, and they want to reconnect with their consumers to make a better product. Domino’s is currently still rebuilding its reputation, and the campaign has finally become a beneficiary asset to Domino’s.
There are both strengths and weaknesses to this Domino’s campaign. One strength is Domino’s ability to admit to their wrongdoing, and state their willingness to fix the problem. Another strength is that Domino’s is still, two years later, continuing its public relations campaigns. Domino’s is viewing as a strong company, because it did not just do the initial campaign, and then give up. They still want the pubic to know what is going on with their product and their relationship with its customers. In my opinion, Domino’s is the only company out there that really connects to its publics and fully states their weaknesses. I can tell that Domino’s truly wants to be the pizza product out there. The last strength is Domino’s involvement in the media. Domino’s has advertisements everywhere, along with great social media and Domino's YouTube Channel. This is key for company’s to thrive today.
Domino’s Pizza had some weaknesses in there campaign as well. One, the CEO apologized on Twitter way to late after the initial video accident. CEO’s have to be proactive and apologize immediately. Another weakness is that, although honest, Domino’s really told the public the negative remarks that customers had, and I think they may have kept that to themselves. I love that Domino’s was honest, but they could have simply said that they were having many negative views on their products without spelling them out.
All in all, I think Domino’s handled their crisis well, and their campaigns have helped them regain their popularity back. They have continued to expand their campaigns to the “Domino’s Tracker,” “Domino’s Pizza At the Door of its Harshest Critics,” and many more little campaigns that show how much Domino’s wants their customers to be happy. If Domino’s continues this, I think they will flourish for a long time to come.
Domino’s main focus for their initial campaign was to rebuild their reputation by using crisis communication tactics and conflict resolution. These tactics included the CEO apologizing on Twitter, and launching “The Pizza Turnaround.” Domino’s first had to use these tactics to renew their company, but with the public and media agenda today, Domino’s had to do more.
Now, with their continuous campaigns, they are using the agenda-setting theory. The agenda-setting hypothesis states that the mass media have the ability to transfer the salience of issues on their news agenda to the public agenda (A First Look at Communication Theory, Em Griffin, p. 378). Domino’s has set a new tone with their product and organization. They introduced their own agenda by setting up a variety of media tactics in order to transfer their new agenda to the public. These tactics include Domino’s own YouTube channel, an active Twitter and Faceboook accounts, and also a variety of advertising amongst all media.
I also believe the PRSA’s Code of Ethics is taken seriously by Domino’s. The key to Domino’s success is honesty and loyalty to their customers. Domino’s also takes the PRSA’s free flow of information provisions to heart. Domino proves this in its "The Pizza Turnaround" video. I truly see in Domino’s future, that all people will love Domino’s not only for their pizza, but their honesty and loyalty to their customers.
