Domino's Pizza: An Inspiring Case of Social Media Openness

futurelab default header

I’ve been watching Domino’s Pizza with interest for a while now. For instance I love their Pizza Tracker, which is a perfect case to show that a good brand-utility application can both garner attention and actually improve on the core brand proposition.

What also makes Domino’s interesting, is that it faced tough times a few years ago.  A video appeared on Youtube showing employees doing nasty things to a pizza before delivering it. A classical PR nightmare emphasizing the power of the viral. But Domino’s faced the crisis out in the open, with the CEO apologizing personally on Youtube as well.

And the company actively started collecting customer feedback. These reviews weren’t kind. As a response, Domino’s introduced the Pizza Turnaround in an attempt to seriously change course.

Part of this campaign was a documentary openly sharing this negative feedback. Domino’s showed clips of customers saying the pizzas tasted like cardboard and being worse than microwaved pizzas. It concluded the documentary with the promise that it would change its ways by improving its recipes, services etc.

It worked: when the campaign was introduced, Domino’s had a sales rise of 14% and its stock value doubled. This presentation gives a nice overview of the above.

Naturally, all this openness is a nice basis for social media. This week, Domino’s started a new social media campaign that deserves attention. Again it invites customers to share their feedback. Their responses can easily be followed at Domino’s Twitter account, negative responses included. But the company doesn’t stop here: it also directs this feedback live  to digital billboards at Times Square, pictures – even the less charming – are included.

Along the lines of First Direct Live– a live barometer continuously sharing customer (un)happiness – and Zappos‘ Twitter policy  – everyone at Zappos can Twitter – another example that open & honest are crucial elements of social media.

Original post: http://blog.frislicht.com/2011/07/dominos-pizza-een-mooie-case-van-een.html