What Domino's Did Right -- and Wrong -- in Squelching Hubbub over YouTube Video†

Pizza Purveyor Faulted for Waiting to Respond but Did Well in the End

Advertising Age, April 20, 2009 — Just how much damage two hooligans can do with a video camera is still unknown. But when the dust finally settles on Domino's Boogergate, it seems likely the pizza chain will be given credit for an effective, if somewhat sluggish, response. And the resulting public-relations crisis can be a valuable learning experience for marketers of every stripe.

"This is obviously a horrible story and every marketer's nightmare," said Rob Weisberg, VP-multimedia marketing at Domino's. "It's amazing to me that somebody in this day and age would think, 'Hey, I can do that and get away with it.'"

What Today's Troubled Businesses Can Learn From E-Trade†

CMO Nick Utton and Spark's Ken Zasky Share Tips on How to Survive a Credit Crisis

Advertising Age, October 20, 2008 — E-Trade Financial may have had a startling fall from grace a year ago, but the fact that it's still around offers hope for today's battered financial companies, the marketer and its media agency told an audience during the Oct. 19 general session of the Association of National Advertisers' annual conference.

Nick Utton, chief marketing officer at E-Trade, and Ken Zasky, president of Spark Communications, shared their playbook for how to survive a credit crisis.

What Marketers Can Learn from the Tomato Scare†

Whole Foods, McDonald's Should Be Buying Keywords, Posting to Blogs

Advertising Age, June 10, 2008 — The businesses affected by the tomato scare are, yet again, missing out on a very big opportunity to address nervous consumers: search.

Despite being taught the importance of paid search either by action or, more often, inaction of other marketers during times of crisis — including the pet food scare, Jet Blue's runway woes or Mattel's toy manufacturing issues — grocery and other food marketers have not focused on search as a way to address the recent tomato scare.

Southwest Goes South, Turns to CRM for Salvation†

Airline's Recent PR Turbulence May Have Also Exposed Some Brand Issues

Advertising Age, March 10, 2008 — Want to get away? Southwest Airlines is probably asking itself that after experiencing one of the most embarrassing moments in its history.

The airline had a major PR crisis on its hands last week when the Federal Aviation Administration issued it a $10.2 million fine, saying the carrier misled the agency about the inspection of planes for fuselage cracks. The airline, which has recorded 35 consecutive years of profitability, said the problem boiled down to a computer error and at no time was passenger safety compromised.

Choosing not to take the advice of its popular ads, the company dealt with the problem head on by speaking with the media; issuing a statement on its site; addressing the issue on its corporate blog; and letting CEO Gary Kelly, who... continue reading

Cycling’s Drug Problem Leads T-Mobile to End Sponsorship

New York Times, November 28, 2007 — T-Mobile, the professional cycling team that began this year with the sport’s largest budget and an ambitious plan to reform the sport’s drug problem, lost its sponsor yesterday because of continuing doping controversies...In announcing the decision to end its sponsorship contract two years early, Deutsche Telekom made it clear that cycling teams had become a marketing nightmare.

RC2’s Train Wreck

The company that recalled Thomas the Tank Engine wooden trains, which were contaminated with paint containing lead, is learning about crisis management.

New York Times, June 19, 2007 — In the toy business, RC2 was the little company that could.

Though much smaller and less prominent than Mattel and Hasbro, RC2 has grown steadily and its stock price has soared over the last five years, thanks largely to a strategy of sewing up licensing deals with big-name brands like Sesame Street, Winnie the Pooh, Disney, Nickelodeon, and Thomas & Friends.