New media is terrific for its viral distribution, but there is a dark side if what’s being distributed is unsavory.

The Domino’s video that made its way around the ether, starting with YouTube last week, was a PR nightmare (see USA Today article).  The video had over half a million views in its first three days, with folks eager to see what the video creators claimed was a hoax but what Domino’s took extremely seriously.  When you see food in a restaurant being tampered with in its preparation, that puts fear into the national psyche (though some viewers no doubt found the crude video funny). 

Two things happened that illustrate Digital Disruptions trends: 1) the video spread like wildfire (New Media), and 2) Domino’s response was swift and strong (Information Transparency).  New media, with its content unfiltered and uncensored, fosters a transparent environment, which means that companies that find themselves on the receiving end of something unpleasant – whether a nefarious act by employees or a legitimate customer complaint – need to act pronto.  As we wrote, having so much information free-flowing on the Internet “puts pressure on corporations to tell the truth and rectify problems quickly.”

To Domino’s credit, the company responded immediately and posted its own video on YouTube two days later showing the CEO responding.  The original video was ordered by YouTube to be removed, but it has surfaced on other video sites (à la New Media).  Word of warning: Be careful what you post on the Internet because it doesn’t go away.  That will be a continuing problem for companies like Dominos who are maligned, not to mention the perpetrators, two 30-somethings who were fired and who had warrants issued for their arrest.

Is the answer removing video cameras from Dominos stores?  The USA Today article reported that Dominos was considering that, but the problem is one of behavior, not technology.  New media is a world of new policies, so having an HR policy about employee use of video cameras, blogs and social networking sites is entirely appropriate.  Viral media is where the opportunity lies, but when it crosses over to the dark side, then countering the speed of viral media is the ultimate test.