Patrick O’Connell, Intern
While watching television recently, I came across a commercial for Domino’s Pizza that posed failure as an option, which surprised me that such a large franchise would admit. In this commercial, they make a joke about their not so popular or successful attempt at serving cookie pizza. Upon further research, I came to realize that this commercial is part of a much larger Domino’s campaign that demonstrates the public transparency required for corporate success.
In an introductory course to public relations that I took at Illinois State University, we discussed a concept known as trust in transparency. This topic is more important than ever to keep in mind due to the influence social media has on today’s society. For Domino’s, it behooved them to publicize criticism, accept it, and entirely revamp their approach to the product they serve, as opposed to combatting negative opinion.
Social media has become a large driver in the communication of fact, fiction, and everything in between. Therefore, many corporations communicate with customers via social media, especially when a complaint is publicized, in order to sustain and enhance its image. Transparency in communication is a vital tactic that can send a company to the top of the industry, even if it is done right during a public crisis. Lacking this asset can lead to the downfall of even the largest of corporations, regardless of whether the problem is as fundamental as a pizza sauce recipe or as complex as a kink in the managerial chain.