Einstein defined insanity as repeating the same actions, but expecting a different outcome. If that is true, insanity rules the day when it comes to crisis response.

We all know that the effectiveness of advertising is in a free fall. Yet I keep seeing articles about how companies are responding to crisis issues – from Taco Bell to BP – that are focused on their advertising. Who needs to up their Super Bowl spend. Who needs to launch a campaign. Who is fighting back with advertising.

While an ad campaign can create “air cover” and help unify a story, when it comes to crisis response, advertising alone is about as effective as hiding under a rock. It is expensive, slow and ranges from irrelevant to untrustworthy among your key constituencies, who pretty much discredit it before the spot is even over. Sometimes, it can be a catalyst for something really interesting, like Toyota’s ads for their Ideas for Good campaign, which actually sent me to their website to learn more.

So why do people still rely on advertising so heavily? Because it is safe, and controllable. You design the ad, you control the message. No one ever gets fired for recommending a full page ad or a TV spot. And when a CEO is demanding, we do more…we can buy more of it.

Insanity. But safe insanity.

cwinters Crisis Communications advertising, BP, Super Bowl, Taco Bell, Toyota

My favorite corporate message these days comes out of Ann Arbor, Michigan, where Domino’s Pizza calls home. Don’t get me wrong – I rarely eat the stuff, although back in the day I could go toe-to-toe with a large pie (Canadian bacon, green pepper, extra cheese) at the drop of a hat.

I’m intrigued by Domino’s determined attempt to re-establish its image as a quality quick-serve restaurant that lives up to its corporate promise – delivering a quality product in 30 minutes or less. They seem to be doing okay on the 30-minute promise, barring a couple of expensive lawsuits back in the 1990s. But the quality product part… well, not so much.

In 2009, consumers participating in a series of focus groups totally trashed Domino’s pies. Common complaints – the crust tastes like “cardboard,” the sauce is just “ketchup,” and so on. In response to this harsh criticism, the company launched an aggressive campaign called The Pizza Turnaround designed to re-claim the consumer’s hearts, minds, taste buds and wallets.

The logistics and complexity of The Pizza Turnaround resemble the invasion of Normandy, except in the pizza industry. There are multiple points of engagement: TV and print advertising, in-store signage, a huge web presence, Twitter feeds, YouTube videos, Facebook pages and even Domino’s Championship Gear celebrating the company’s epic win over Papa John’s in a recent taste-off.

So is Domino’s delivering (pun intended) on the Pizza Turnaround? It sure seems that way. The folks at Pizza Throwdown liked the new recipes. So did the gang at Slice (“America’s Favorite Pizza Weblog!”). Even Stephen Colbert jumped on the bandwagon.

But to me, the most fascinating piece of this has to do with Domino’s corporate reputation. By building its loud, but engaging advertising campaign and the other elements of The Pizza Turnaround on the idea that, “you told us we suck and we’re doing something about it,” the company is sending some powerful messages to consumers. We listen. We heard you. We acted based on your feedback. Your opinions are as important as your dollars. We care. One Web pundit called it “reverse engineering reputation management.”

So was the pizza really so bad that the company had to start over? Not likely, since their annual revenues clock in north of $3 billion. But that’s not the point, is it? This is all about image, perception and reputation, and Domino’s has baked together a potent recipe that resonates well with the public.

In many respects, corporate reputation is a function of public perception and I’d wager that the public perception today about Domino’s is very positive. It’s the kind of enviable position that any corporation would love to be in these days.

Bob Silver can be reached at bsilver@mww.com.

bsilver General Corporate advertising, Domino's, reputation