It didn’t take long for CEO, Patrick Doyle, to respond. He issued a public apology via the same channels that had delivered a significant blow to the Domino’s brand and its core product. He promised a full investigation, thanked loyal customers, and guaranteed changes abound.

Fast forward to January 2010. Domino’s launches a fully-integrated ad campaign called the Pizza Turnaround — the true story of how the nation’s second-largest pizza company and the largest deliverer of pizza is facing its harshest critics and attempting to remake its pizza from the crust up. The campaign addresses the problem directly, with current employees sharing footage of product-bashing focus groups and unkind quotes from social networks such as, “[It] tastes like cardboard.” In addition, the brand is promoting its move toward selling pizza via social networking sites and popular mobile devices in hopes of meeting customer demand while appealing to a younger audience.

If nothing else, in the wake of the public relations nightmare that started in early 2009, Domino’s honesty is refreshing. If more advertisers took this kind of approach, especially during the so-called social media revolution the industry is facing, they’d be better off. But can this truth-in-advertising approach work for such a tarnished brand? Can Domino’s reshape perception and build loyalty with the simple proclamation, “Our pizza sucks and we’re going to do something about it”? It’s probably too early to tell, although initial reactions have been positive. In the end, it will be the quality of the product (read: does it taste more like freshly baked dough and cheese than cardboard) that decides if the Pizza Turnaround is indeed a revolution.

Check out www.pizzaturnaround.com and share your thoughts.

The Most Interesting Man in the World is just that kind of rarity. This immeasurably popular Dos Equis campaign is a beacon of originality in a sea of sameness. Not only is the protagonist a gray-haired father figure, the seen-it-all “life connoisseur” openly admits that he doesn’t always drink beer. Compare that to every other beer commercial and Dos Equis shines like a beacon in the cluttered aisles of supermarkets, too.

In fact, during a time when imported beer sales have dropped 11%, the man who “once had an awkward moment just to see how it feels” has helped Dos Equis boost their sales by 17%. From TV and radio spots to online advertising to viral videos, this tightly integrated campaign is a testament to the power of big ideas and the value of branding. Especially in tough economic times.

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Some great thoughts here. More than ever, we need to gain deeper insights into human behaviors as the media and market landscapes continue to evolve.

It sounds cliché, but the only avenue to those insights is to truly know your audience. And like Patrick Edson says, we have to move beyond the “80% knowledge” – the information everybody owns. That’s just not good enough. The “ability to decipher our consumers’ unarticulated needs and unconscious behaviors” is the key to understanding how to position your product. In other words, the elusive “20%”.

I’ve read a handful of related blog posts. Other ideas that stood out are that, despite the execution of the campaign, Coors Light has committed to this central idea for four plus years now and they’ve carried it out everywhere – advertising (Coors Light Love Train), product packaging (Cold Activated Bottle), and even serving itself (supercolddraft.com).

The lesson is that we need to recognize a good idea when we see one (easier said than done). And when we do, everyone involved must truly believe in it. It’s the only way you can inspire others to believe in it, too. Enough talk. I’m gonna go grab a cold one.