Travis R. Martin, CPA, MBA

Here is a quick, two question pop quiz for you (do your own work – no using Google):

#1). Name the fast food chain that, in December of 2008, suffered a public relations crisis when three semi-nude teenage girls took a bath together in a sink used to clean dishes and posted pictures of the act on the internet.

#2). Name the fast food chain that, in August of 2008, suffered a public relations crisis when a fully nude “Mr. Unstable” was seen on YouTube taking a bath in a utility sink used to wash cooking utensils.

Check your answers at the bottom of the post. How did you do? If you were 0 for 2, I wouldn’t be surprised.

It has been nearly two weeks since footage featuring a Domino’s employee sneezing and farting on food hit YouTube, giving new meaning to the term “viral” video and providing the world with yet another fast food outrage.

A Dominos employee shoves cheese up his nose prior to preparing a sandwich and dispelling the notion that there "is no such thing as bad press."

Over a million viewers watched the video on YouTube before it was removed. Countless others saw the repulsive images on newscasts across the country. Given the large number of viewers involved, one has to assume that at least few of those watching were eating Domino’s at the time.

Welcome to Web 2.0, Domino’s – a place where years of brand equity can be erased with the click of a mouse.

How should Domino’s go about fighting a public relations battle over the internet? For most bloggers and business publications, the answer is clear: Web 2.0 problems require Web 2.0 solutions. In an April 18th column for Business Week, marketing consultant B.L. Ochman urged companies to establish a credible presence online through blogs and social websites. In the short term, Domino’s seems to be following this strategy. 48 hours following the incident’s appearance on the internet, Patrick Doyle, President of Domino’s USA, posted an apology on YouTube. The pizza chain has even created a Twitter account to deliver news to customers. But, I continue to question whether these strategies will be effective, or even necessary for Domino’s.

While the footage of the deranged employees was available on YouTube, it attracted over a million viewers. In the same time period, the official corporate apology was viewed by just over 60,000 viewers. Similarly, Domino’s new Twitter feed (dpzinfo) has garnered just over 1,500 followers. Obviously, the internet crowd is more interested in the scandal than the “sorry.” No amount of blogging or tweeting is going to change that.

Thankfully for Domino’s, the internet crowd is a forgetful bunch. With bloggers and other news media creating new content 24-7, “yesterday’s news” has become “last hour’s news.” The quiz at the start of the post is proof of that. For a brief period of time, KFC and Burger King, were both associated with teenagers bathing in sinks. Now, hardly anyone can connect the two without using Google.

Rather than focusing on social media tools that add no value to the pizza eating experience, Domino’s should rely on good, fundamental business practices that increase customer satisfaction. This would include revamping hiring practices to identify potentially problematic employees and retaining quality employees with above-average wages. Ideas such as these don’t carry the prestige or “cool” factor of Web 2.0 solutions, but they have worked wonders for other fast food chains like In-N-Out Burger.  After all, what are customers more likely to remember: a tweet or blog posting, or a great customer service experience?

Quiz Answers: #1 – KFC. #2 – Burger King.

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