By Jen Hoskote
Like every year, there are the inevitable crises that are bound to hit the media, infiltrate the public, and stir up everyone’s opinions.
The latter part of 2009 provided us with a myriad of celebrity/image restoration cases, but it was the Dominos Pizza brand that captured well over 1 million YouTube viewers; two disgruntled employees managed to successfully disgust the nation by filming themselves performing cheese-up-the-nose acts, a butt cheek-to-sponge-to-pot scrubbing demonstration, and the ever-attractive snot rocket sandwich routine. Needless to say, the Domino’s duo was arrested for distributing prohibited foods and released from their “executive chef” positions.
Although Dominos eventually created a YouTube apology and Twitter account to answer consumer questions/concerns, their initial reaction (or lack thereof) was what really startled the media and public. Rather than trying to pull the video off YouTube, execs were more concerned with finding and prosecuting the two comedians, allowing more hits for the video and Domino’s reputation.
Domino’s spokesperson, Tim McIntyre, admitted that they did not respond quickly enough because they felt the situation would subside. They didn’t take in to consideration the powerful force of social media outlets such as Twitter and Facebook.
Two days later, as the incident escalated, Domino’s finally took action by posting a public apology on their website, constantly tweeted reassuring messages, and issued a video apology by Domino’s USA President, Patrick Doyle on YouTube.
The lesson is this: Domino’s should have had a Twitter account, a blog, and Facebook page long before the incident even took place, providing them with 3 immediate channels to connect with their consumers quickly.
This incident is a perfect example of how social media can truly mold public opinion and perception. Not to mention, whenever someone wants to recall the crisis, all they have to do is Google it, proving that information lives forever online. With viral marketing at the top of the popularity list, it’s imperative that companies be up-to-speed in order to alleviate all potential crises, even seemingly minuscule ones.
Now, back to the celebrity short-comings that seem to always grab our attention…like Kanye West grabbing a microphone or Tiger grabbing a cocktail waitress for a casual fling.
Starting with how Mr. West rudely interrupted Taylor Swift during her acceptance speech during the 2009 Video Music Awards. The news aroused two questions in my mind:
1. Who is heartless enough interrupt a 19 year old pop star?
2. Can he really one-up himself with his track record? Answers: Kanye West and yes, he can. Some say he was inebriated, which is highly probable, but he’s a successful, cocky artist who doesn’t feel the need to uphold his reputation with the public.
This could be because he assumes people will still buy his albums or he flat out doesn’t care. Either way, his reps convinced him an apology was in order, and what better venue for it than the Jay Leno Show.
Although a few days had passed, announcing his contrition on the late-nite mogul’s show wasn’t a half-bad idea. The show averages 5 million viewers a night, and the incident was fresh on the public’s mind, and if anyone’s going to put you on the spot it’s Jay Leno, so who wouldn’t want to watch?
It almost didn’t even matter if anyone believed him to be genuine, as long as Taylor Swift accepted the apology and he did his “part” to act contrite.
It’s very unlikely the whole incident was a publicity stunt to boost her career because well, let’s be honest, neither of them need it.
In this case, bad PR was better than none at all because it made Taylor look like an angel and Kanye like a villain.
As a result, the story quickly faded and the villain’s sales weren’t negatively affected, probably because people weren’t really surprised that Kanye West would do such a thing.
The Tiger Woods (or Cheetah, I should say) case is playing out very differently. It’s no surprise now that Tiger likes to putt around but his refusal to initially come forward and admit his infidelity is really what is continuing to damage his reputation.
Sure, legally, he doesn’t owe anyone but his wife an explanation, but his fans and sponsors beg to differ. Both Gillette and Accenture have decided that he is not the golden boy they, and everyone, believed him to be.
As a result, Woods is taking an indefinite sabbatical from his career, and, to be honest, that’s a more detrimental blow to the golf industry than his diamond-crusted wallet.
But while it’s debatable that Wood’s personal life shouldn’t be of anyone’s concern, he does have a social responsibility as a sports icon and role model to admit his inadequacy and take charge of his actions. Asking for privacy and retreating to a yacht is one thing, but, for every minute he does this, more rumors and innuendo come churning from the gossip mill.
You would think that the first athlete to ever accrue $1 billion would have a better publicist.
Tiger, give us a call. We can help.
