Fulcrum Blog

In the last few days, the viral potential of social media struck again, and resulted in a major public relations crisis for a worldwide brand. When two Domino’s employees filmed a video while at work and posted it on YouTube, it spread like wildfire.

The video showed sandwich preparation that made Domino’s appear a bit less than appetizing, or sanitary, through the creative use of snot, nasal crevices and gas. Apparently, the employees thought it was a pretty funny joke. And 930,000 people took notice online (the video is no longer available due to a copyright claim from one of the employees).

When I first heard about the video, my reaction was to get the heebie jeebies thinking of any food prepared outside of my house, as opposed to swearing off Domino’s. (But maybe that’s because I couldn’t tell you the last time I had Domino’s.) Hopefully other people also recognized that this isn’t evidence of common practice at any one particular fast food chain; but regardless, Domino’s had to take it very seriously. And that’s exactly what they did.

You can now find this video on YouTube, and it’s the first result returned when you search for Domino’s.

In my opinion, the PR team that managed this crisis followed some key principles to a tee:

• The CEO was chosen as spokesperson to demonstrate the highest level of commitment to the issue.
• The CEO’s message was crafted to very genuinely show concern, disgust, shock and disappointment.
• They didn’t waste any time. The plan was enacted, messages were crafted, the video was filmed and it was posted in a very timely manner.
• They responded using appropriate media by focusing on YouTube, the “scene of the crime” so to speak, and Twitter, in an attempt to reach the same audience that would have seen the initial video.
• They apologized and vowed to make things right, while being able to immediately reference the actions they took to do so…. Firing the employees, having them arrested, temporarily closing and sanitizing the store, and evaluating hiring procedures.
• They kept it short and stuck to the main points, driving home their most important message, “nothing is more important or sacred to us than our customers’ trust.”
• They were transparent and didn’t try to lie, deny, hide or ignore.
• They maintained control of the situation by being proactive and responding on their own terms.

The unfortunate reality of this situation is that so far only 66,000 people have seen the CEO’s video (as of the time I published this post), a mere 7% of the audience for the negative video. And for the most part, we can presume the mainstream media won’t cover Domino’s response to the extent they covered the more ratings-favorable initial video, if they even cover it at all. But the point is that Domino’s has modeled how to respond to a crisis.

In all likelihood, Domino’s had a comprehensive crisis communication plan that was immediately accessible for this situation. It helped guide them through their response, remain calm and act quickly. Chances are, the plan wasn’t specific to employees defaming the company, and I’d be willing to bet it wasn’t focused on responding to a “new” kind of social media crisis like this. But it worked.

Domino’s had a general roadmap for protecting its reputation no matter what the obstacle, as we all should. Regardless of how big or small your company is, whether you’re in the public eye or not, there is always the potential for crisis. If you aren’t prepared, then you should be prepared to stumble.

First, let me say sorry, oh great blogosphere. I have failed miserably in my recommitment to you. No excuses this time, but it was so bad that I had to look up my password for this thing. Now that’s some brutal honesty. It’s painful, really. 

Anyway, I was motivated to post today because I’ve had enough. I think it’s safe to say that most people are pretty over the election. I think it’s clear that we are more than saturated with political debates, mudslinging, commercials, and satire. We all wish we could wake up tomorrow and it would be Nov. 4. The problem for me is not that it’s dragging, but rather that the messages are coming from all directions and in increasing quantities. And I’m not okay with it.

I don’t consider myself a private person. In fact, I think I’m a pretty open book. But when it comes to politics, I draw a line. I’m not sure why … but maybe it’s a learned behavior. When I used to go to the polls with my Dad after school, I’d wait patiently in the car with my brother (no doubt while he tortured me in some way). But as soon as my Dad returned, proudly displaying his “I Voted” sticker on his Izod sweater, I’d start shouting, “Who’d you vote for? Who’d you vote for?” And each time he would respond, “Voting is a very private matter, Kelly. As you get older, you’ll learn that it isn’t something you want to be asked about.” 

Now, it seems like everyone has an opinion. And everyone is more than willing to share it. For example, I read a blog regularly that I really enjoy. But lately, it’s been salted with attacks on a certain candidate and those that support him. (Let me go ahead and say that I’m not willing to disclose my political affiliation or views on the presidential candidates.) But I don’t read this blog to get political commentary. And I’m not interested in hearing one-sided outbursts about either candidate. I just wonder … what happened to the notion of my Dad’s generation that these things are personal? What happened to only saying something if you had something nice to say? And where did the idea go that you should keep your opinions to yourself unless asked?

I feel like I’m constantly surrounded by the rhetoric. Friends are tweeting about it. Other blogs I read that never mention politics are weighing in. I hear celebrities’ opinions through a multitude of media. And businesses are even putting up signs to show their support in one direction or another.

I understand that this is what’s going on in our nation right now and that people are going to talk about it. I understand that the internet and social media have broken down boundaries of communication. But I don’t understand why people feel the need to inject their opinions where they weren’t solicited, especially when they include so much animosity and anger. To me, politics is such a polarizing thing. And it’s so easy to disagree with someone, or even offend them. I’d much rather get information from reputable sources and discuss my thoughts and questions only amongst my closest family and friends. Because honestly, isn’t it my own personal decision based on my own set of values, beliefs and life experiences?  

With the lack of boundaries on this topic, I feel like I’m having to erect walls. It makes me want to discontinue RSS feeds and relationships that I once cherished because, quite simply, I don’t want to know the depths of an acquaintance, author, business or actor’s political views. It seems like so many political messages are misplaced and I’m finding them where I least expect them. It really turns me off.

Am I the only one who feels this way? Does the introduction of politics into a conversation or setting make anyone else clam up?

I’m sitting in my car, outside of the FPRA Annual Conference at the Gaylord Palms while I participate in a conference call with both a client and a vendor. The vendor is someone I’ve never worked with before, so they took some time to get familiar with my company via my Web site. Respectable and appreciated, of course. But then the guy makes a comment about how he was intrigued by a “recent” blog post, and my heart sinks. I chuckled and made some conversation about the topic, all the while feeling the sensation of heat rising from my neck to my cheeks and then my ears. In the back of my mind, I’m thinking, “oh Lord, someone is actually reading that thing? I haven’t posted in months!”

Let’s just say, girl got called OUT. Which led me to reflect on how things have changed since I last posted, some inspiration that’s been ever so gently tapping me on the shoulder, and a bittersweet feeling that I need to recommit.

Let’s start with the evolution part:

My firm is changing, I’m changing, everything around me is changing. No surprises here, as change is the way of the world. But I guess I’ve gotten a bit tangled up in it, thinking busy-ness was an excuse to ignore important things, like my blog. Here’s a snapshot…

• Fulcrum celebrated a year in business. Happy Birthday to us! In spite of the economy, this little engine keeps chugging.
• Over the last year, Fulcrum has focused on providing small businesses a cost-effective marketing communications solution through project-based services. But over time, client needs and business challenges have evolved us into a more long-term, comprehensive management solution for mid-sized organizations that aren’t large enough to have full time in-house marketing and communications staff. As such, that’s where our focus has shifted. When you hire Fulcrum, you get an outsourced marketing communications and public relations manager that considers themselves an internal resource. It’s a very personal approach and I like it.
• I’ve added APR to my name, as I talked about here and here. This has fit well with the previous bullet, but was a time commitment.
• I’ve had some personal “additions” - I rescued a chocolate lab/doberman puppy, which (not necessarily by choice) made us a home with more canines than humans; I watched my brother get married in the beautiful mountains of Big Sky, MT; and, I acquired my first niece, Madison. (Not that any of this really matters to you, but more on personal commentary in a bit.)
• After a year break from the local FPRA board of directors, I was installed today as the Accreditation Chair for ‘08-’09. I’ll be helping people through the workshops, interview and testing that I went through earlier this year.
• I took on the responsibility of chairing a new Communications Committee for a non-profit board that I serve on, and worked with my team to develop a survey and the beginnings of a marketing plan.
• I was very recently re-approached by the University of Central Florida to teach a public speaking class for undergraduates. For a moment, I thought I would be teaching in the fall semester (whoa). But it looks like it could happen in the spring instead, and I’m quite excited.

Now for what inspired me:

• The first point of inspiration is of course the story I opened with, but that was really the last. The straw that broke the camel’s back, if you will.
• A good one was the FPRA Annual Conference I mentioned earlier. I spent the better part of a week in professional development mode, listening to inspiring speakers, hearing about new research and learning some cool things. It just kind of reminded me of the importance of picking your head up from your desk and peering over the horizon every so often.
• My former esteemed employer started a blog. Encouraging the firm to blog was a focus of mine before I left. It didn’t happen while I was there, but they are rocking it now. 
• I’ve recently had a surge in Twitter and Facebook activity. And I started having some tweets pushed to my phone via text. Increased usage of both applications has revived my inner social media spirit.
• Last but not least, I consume a lot of online media and am constantly reminded of the value that blogging can have … credibility (at least one can hope), exercising my writing muscle, networking and relationship building, search engine optimization, etc.

And it all adds up to recommitment:

• It’s probably pretty apparent at this point, but I am going to re-commit myself to blogging. I can’t promise how often, or how lengthy, or how relevant, but I’m going to try much harder.
• I downloaded the newest version of Wordpress so that I have the latest gadgets.
• I updated my masthead… gave it a shiny new photo and a spiffy little tagline that will hopefully lend some context to what I’m doing. My mission is to explore all things marketing, communication, and PR to uncover and discuss more sources of leverage for my clients.
• I’m going to stop being lazy and start using some pictures to make my posts prettier.
• I won’t say I plan on it, but I’m sure it will happen – I’ll probably go off topic and I’ll probably get personal from time to time. When you own your own business, it’s pretty hard to separate your personal life from your work life, so I see that as a natural tie. There aren’t that many people reading anyway, right?

Cheers! 

I saw this great post in a blog I frequent and thought it summed up some really good points about Google’s universal search. In case you didn’t notice, last year Google started integrating the content from all of its databases (like video, stocks, images, news, etc.) into the main search results of a keyword search. What that means for us, other than more and diverse search results, is opportunity. We can and should be going “multimedia” with content to take better advantage of search engine marketing.

The post primarily speaks to creating YouTube videos to support your marketing message, with the idea that YouTube videos often show up in the top results of many keyword searches. You can also use photos, blogs and press releases to do much of the same.

I think the message here is clear - universally think Google with everything you do. Google is sort of taking over the world, so rather than using it just to search for an article about Elliot Spitzer, or for a site that sells environmentally friendly cat beds, use it to market your business in any way you can.

I have been on Twitter for a few months now and have foundit to be quite a bit more fascinating than I would have otherwise given itcredit for. I must admit, when I heard the NPR story about the site the day ofits launch, my initial reaction was “why do I need to know what my friends aredoing every second of every day?” Because truthfully, I don’t.

Of course, that’s not how I have actually experiencedTwitter. In fact, there are very few people that I know personally using thetechnology. And for me that is a large part of its appeal: the ability to makecontact with scores of heretofore unknown individuals, of like mind or not, ina socially neutral environment where all that is expected of you is theexchange of pure information … personal, social or otherwise.

Sure, people talk about what they’re doing … but more so they talk about what they’re thinking or what’s of interest to themat the moment. They share instantaneous thought (for the most part, anyway) and they do it in 140 characters or less. In a world of information overload, that’s as close to perfection as I’ve come in a long time. So what’s the biggest drawback? I have to figure out how to say it in less than 140 characters. If you know me, you understand my dilemma.