Domino's Pizza Deals With YouTube Nightmare

Yesterday was quite a day for

It was a day during which the number of people who viewed a nasty video posted to YouTube by two rogue employees approached a million,  I wrote at length yesterday about this rapidly-evolving PR crisis, updating the post during the day as events developed. I didn’t embed the offending video directly in that post; it’s just too disgusting.

I did link to it, though, and kept an eye on YouTube during the day as the view count steadily increased:

• 562,627 views (8am)
• 636,000 views (11:15am)
• 690,000 views (1pm)
• 728,816 views (3pm)
• 745,679 views (5pm)
• 930,390 views (9:30pm)

  It’s astonishing growth in just one day; combined with all the general commentary and  Twitter talk, I think that’s one video you could definitely apply the word ‘viral’ to.

  I’m sure views exceeded a million since my last check last night but I can’t tell this morning as the video has been taken down: if you go to the original location on YouTube, you’ll see this message:

  This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by Kristy Hammonds.

  Kristy Hammonds is one of the two employees who made the video and who is Consumerist has their own copy along with two others made by those two Domino’s employees (now ex employees).

  So what was Domino’s doing while fires were igniting all around them? Not much in public other than a video by Patrick Doyle, President of Domino’s USA, in which he apologizes to customers and outlines what the company is doing to address consumer concerns resulting from the rogue employees’ video.

  This is one video I’m more than happy to embed directly.

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7l6AJ49xNSQ

  The only advice I’d offer Mr Doyle and his communicators is this: look straight at the camera next time you do a video like this. It will make you appear more sincere and give me a sense that you’re speaking directly to me rather than looking at (and so speaking to) someone else out of shot.

  But this video is very good indeed, an appropriate first direct response (and means of responding), in my view, to the events of the past few days.

  Along with the new Twitter account someone at Domino’s started yesterday, it shifts the initiative to the company and demonstrates that they are paying attention and are actively engaging to address all those concerns so many people have articulated online.

  It’s a good beginning.

  Among the many mainstream media commentaries about this affair that have sprung up over the past 24 hours, the Comments