April Edition of SAX PR's RePRcussions Newsletter Covers Social Media; Lead Story Covers Domino's Pizza's Use of Twitter in Crisis Communications
SAX PR/Marketing today published the fourth issue of RePRcussions, its newsletter on PR and the media. The issue focuses on recent innovative use of social media by Domino's Pizza and Chasidic rap star Matisyahu.

NORTH HOLLYWOOD, CA, April 30, 2009 /24-7PressRelease/ -- SAX PR/Marketing today published the fourth issue of RePRcussions, its newsletter on PR and the media. The issue focuses on recent innovative use of social media by Domino's Pizza and Chasidic rap star Matisyahu. Back issues of the newsletter are available at http://tinyurl.com/RePRarchive.

Domino's Turns a Crisis into Social Media Cred

The classic crisis communications case study is the Tylenol product-tampering incident of 1982. When seven people in Chicago were killed by cyanide-laced Tylenol capsules, the product's manufacturer, Johnson & Johnson, responded with a national alert, a product recall, press conferences and an 800 number with regular updates for the press. Johnson & Johnson successfully protected its consumers and its brand's reputation and set the template for every subsequent crisis response.

In recent years PR mavens have speculated on whether Johnson & Johnson would have been as successful if it had had to face today's more complex media landscape. In 1982 cable news was just getting established (CNN debuted in 1980) and the 24-hour news cycle had yet to take hold. Johnson & Johnson could take advantage of nightly downtime to review and refine its crisis response, and it had to face only the established media of print, radio and television. As Domino's Pizza found out this month, the advent of online social media has made crisis communications more complicated and dramatically shortened the response window.

The crisis that hit Domino's was itself made possible by social media. An employee of a Domino's store in North Carolina shot a video of another worker preparing sandwiches in a deliberately disgusting and unsanitary manner. They then posted the video on YouTube, where in a matter of hours it garnered hundreds of thousands of views and threatened to severely damage Domino's Pizza's reputation and business. By contrast, the Tylenol story developed over several days, giving Johnson & Johnson time to get ahead of the story before it went national.

Credit Domino's for being savvy enough to respond with appropriate social media tactics in what the LA Times called 'the fast-twitch online world.' The company posted its own video on YouTube featuring its president, Patrick Doyle, telling consumers what was being done about the incident, including firing the employees, shutting down the store to sanitize it top-to-bottom, and assuring the public of Domino's commitment to food quality and safety. Domino's also set up a Twitter account so that it could respond to consumers' questions about the incident on the popular microblogging service.

Comments from consumers and pundits alike on Domino's handling of the crisis have generally been favorable. Domino's quick response time and use of social media were key elements, especially because a large slice (pun intended) of Domino's customers are young and likely heavy users of social media. Domino's succeeded in garnering public sympathy and bolstering the confidence of its customers in what could have been a real blow to its brand. As a side benefit they gained respect and additional media coverage for demonstrating that they 'get' social media. In the competitive world of national pizza franchises, that added credibility is a differentiator that can build sales.

TREND WATCH: Chasidic Rapper Promotes his Music on Twitter Don't let Matisyahu's black hat and beard fool you. The reggae-inflected Chasidic rapper may turn off his Blackberry on the Jewish Sabbath, but he's a heavy user of social media on the other six days of the week. He is currently using Twitter to promote his upcoming new album and summer tour by going directly to his fans to begin building buzz.

Among his 'tweets'(Twitter messages) in recent weeks was an announcement of the video for 'Drown in the Now,' a song from his new album; it included a link to the video so fans could see it immediately. He also held an impromptu contest, offering five of his Twitter 'followers' the chance to attend a tour rehearsal in a Brooklyn studio. Sneak previews of videos and rehearsal passes are not new marketing ideas in the music world, but the ability to offer them directly to fans without going through a radio station or TV network is a powerful new tool for pop stars. All marketers should take note.

Orthodox religious practice and modern technology are not necessarily incompatible. Matisyahu is following an 'early adopter' model of technology usage established decades ago by Chabad-Lubavitch, the Chasidic sect with which he is affiliated. In the early 1980's Chabad was using a satellite uplink from Brooklyn to broadcast live speeches by its spiritual leader, the Lubavitcher rebbe, to his followers world-wide.

More information on SAX PR/Marketing is available at www.saxpr.net.

Press Release Contact Information:

Robert Sax
SAX PR/Marketing
President
4804 Laurel Canyon Blvd. #746
North Hollywood, CA
USA 91607
Voice: 818-508-7660
Website: Visit Our Website