Businesses shouldn’t ignore new media forms, expert says
Oklahoman Q&A with Sean Simpson
April 22, 2009
Q: Last week Domino’s Pizza President Patrick Doyle appeared in a YouTube video to reassure patrons upset by a video created by North Carolina employees showing them passing gas and sneezing on sandwiches before the food was sold to customers. The video was viewed 500,000 times before it was yanked from YouTube and Doyle’s address was added. Are the rules of corporate public relations changing in this new media age?
A: Absolutely. Domino’s was on top of the situation within 48 hours — but that was way too long. The video was posted online on Monday evening and Domino’s didn’t respond until Wednesday. All day Tuesday, people were waiting for a response. The delay allowed the story to grow legs throughout the social media community. Bloggers notified Domino’s executives about the offensive video, and then went the extra step to actually track down the employees and the location of the store. Companies should identify social media as a clearly defined target audience. The next step is for companies to monitor print and broadcast as well as all social media including blogs, Twitter, Facebook, Linked-In, MySpace and others. Monitoring opens the door to public engagement, which can enhance and strengthen the brand, producing healthy dialogue and heading off crises before they become viral.
Q: How would you judge Domino’s response?
A: I give their initial reaction an F. Then they ignored traditional media in an effort to control the crisis, which backfired (C-). Patrick Doyle’s YouTube response, although scripted, hit the right talking points including thanking the online community for alerting them (B-). For the week Domino’s passed, but barely with a C+.
Q: The incident in question reportedly involved a convicted sex offender. With every camera phone capable of creating a video that can be viewed by millions, should employers reconsider hiring and pay standards?
A: To save money, you can buy smaller pizza boxes, use less dough and cut down on cheese, sauce and toppings. But if you’re only going to pay $6.55 an hour and are willing to hire people of questionable character, you’re rolling the dice. Look at local retailer Hobby Lobby — they recently raised their minimum wage to $10 an hour. For David Green, investing in his human capital is just as important as investing in his inventory. Green is ahead of the game. When the economy turns, companies will have to provide competitive or superior pay, benefits, leave and training if they hope to recruit and retain quality workers.
Steve Lackmeyer, Business Writer
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Posted on
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
by Sean Taylor Simpson
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