Strategic Communication Adapts to Social Media

By Keri Johnson

kj153517@ohio.edu

In 2009, the New York Times ran a headline that said: "Video Prank at Domino's Taints Brand". The article was reporting on a "prank" by Domino's employees in North Carolina that went viral on YouTube. The video showed a Domino's employee putting cheese up his nose, covering sandwiches with mucus and violating other health codes; another employee provided voiceover narration.

The video caused outrage -- from media, consumers and Domino's itself. The two employees were fired and charged with distributing prohibited (unsanitary) food. Domino's found itself facing a huge public relations crisis and in need of quick, immediate and careful response.

Picture source: prweek.com

 

In order to do that, Domino's joined social media -- specifically, Twitter, under the handle @dpzinfo. Domino's chief executive also appeared making a statement on YouTube. Though Domino's Twitter account was borne out of crisis, now, in 2020, @dominos is the company's current handle, and its tweets have a different purpose. 

Domino's uses Twitter to post giveaways, deals and jokes. It posts on Twitter somewhat casually, sometimes only a couple tweets per day. It uses emojis and plays on contemporary memes. What it does not do is solely, defensively advertise a company; though Domino's created a Twitter account for crisis management, it now uses the account to interact with customers and encourage sales.

It is interesting to look at the role social media has in strategic communication. Strategic communication, like journalism, needs to be ethical and truthful. It is also interesting how social media has changed strategic communication, and how businesses, corporations, nonprofits and others who rely on strategic communication have adapted their messages and channels to social media.

Another business that has adapted its social media presence to social media, and more famously, is Wendy's. @Wendys Twitter description reads: "We like our tweets the same way we like to make our hamburgers: better than anyone expects from a fast food joint." @Wendys has 3.7 million followers and is known for its funny and absurd tweets. 

Wendy's is known for "roasting" or being "savage" on Twitter, meaning the account interacts with Twitter users, often playfully poking fun at people or other businesses, such as Burger King and McDonald's. A simple "Wendy's Twitter" Google search brings up photos and many listicles about Wendy's tweets, such as ranker.com and boredpanda.com. 

Where ethics comes into play here is, how ethical is it for Wendy's to tweet: "Hey, @McDonalds, roast us." Does Wendy's strategic communication come off as ethical or unfair? Or is it simply just fun and effective? Wendy's is not violating the PRSA's Code of Ethics; in that, Wendy's is not lying on social media (honest and accurate), it is arguably promoting healthy competition, as well as informing the public. However, the professionality of the account still seems questionable; is Wendy's risk-taking, or is it innovative? Perhaps both.