A Critique Of Domino’s Damage Control Video

17 Apr 2009

A Critique Of Domino’s Damage Control Video

A PR nightmare has come to life for the Domino’s corporation. After 2 idiotic employees posted a video on YouTube of them doing disgusting things to the food, Domino’s had to react quickly, and they did.

At pretty much lightening speed, Domino’s President, Patrick Doyle, posted this video of his own to respond to the situation.

I think Domino’s response has been good to this point. I also believe it’s an opportunity for the Brand to do some really important things if they decide that take advantage of the opportunity to speak to their customer’s in a more meaningful and powerful way.

So after seeing Pat’s video on YouTube above, I asked our resident business communications expert, Shari Alexander, to view the video and offer some suggestions on how Pat and his team could have made more of an impact. This is not a negative look at what they did, but perhaps informational for anyone who may need to understand the dynamics involved a little better. Please feel free to add you comments and let us know what you think.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

It’s something that no executives wants to face, having to speak and do damage control in front of thousands of observers. After years of watching videos of professional speakers and working with executives on their speech and presentation skills, here are 3 observations I have about the video from Doyle that you can learn from.

Not looking in the camera. While I respect the fact that Doyle came up with something to say very quickly, it’s a shame that his script was not closer to the camera. This would have given the illusion that he was looking into the camera. We all know that eye contact is important when talking to someone. The same goes for addressing viewers behind the camera lens. If Doyle wanted to connect with the viewers, then he should have looked at them, instead of reading a script 45 degrees away from the camera.

Know your frame. Studies have shown that we trust another person more when we can see the other person’s hands while they speak and we are hesitant to trust another person when we can’t see their hands. Doyle’s entire statement was just a “talking head”. You could not see his hands or gestures. Gestures provide an important communication element in speaking. Doyle used a few small gestures, but they were out of frame (outside the camera’s view). If you are ever in a situation where you need to give a similar statement on camera, ask for your frame to be from the waist up. This way you can have your gestures visible to the camera, making you appear more trustworthy to the viewer.

Where’s the passion? You could tell Doyle was very upset by the entire situation. He looks away from the script at very telling moments and you can see a flash of disgust on his face. However, Doyle mostly played it cool. He tried to keep a straight face and not give any expression. I believe that’s a mistake. Why is it wrong to show emotion towards a disgusting situation like this one? I think Doyle would have been better served if he let out what he was trying to hold back. In fact, if he had shown a bit more passion in his statement and not been so boring, it would have been more interesting to watch, and the media would have used more clips from the statement, resulting more positive PR for Domino’s.

Everything considered, I think Doyle did an ok job. He was quick to respond, which in these types of situations is half the battle. It wasn’t perfect, but it was certainly sufficient enough.

To find out more about Shari and what she does to help people and business communicate better, visit her here on her website www.PresentingMatters.com, or email her at Shari@PresentingMatters.com.