Thursday, April 16, 2009

BRANDSLAUGHTER!

In response to a controversy in which two Domino's Pizza employees put some videos online in which they farted, sneezed, and burped on food they were preparing, Domino's released this video (no need to see the whole thing just go to about 1:20):



In this video, the Domino's guy solemnly intones, "it's not a surprise that this has caused a lot of damage to our brand. It sickens me..." Then if you go the NYTimes article you read the headline: Video Prank at Domino’s Taints Brand. Are we reaching a watershed moment where, just as "meme" has gone mainstream, talking about the "brand" so brazenly as opposed to "the company" has gone mainstream? Perhaps. Should these employees who caused serious harm to the Domino's brand, and therefore Domino's revenues, be prosecuted for Brandslaughter? Perhaps.