Responding to Cultural Pressure

As we discuss in Chapter 5 of Essentials of Marketing, there are numerous factors that influence consumer buying behavior.  Sometimes company image, specifically how company image ties to cultural norms can be an influence – either positive or negative.  Papa Johns had to deal with this recently when their CEO admitted using a racial slur.  The CEO was forced out of the company and is now attacking the company.  Papa Johns has taken a great deal of criticism and has seen a decline in sales, in part due to this issue.  In response, they put together an apology video.  You can view the video on their Twitter page and read more about the situation here.  What do your students think of their response to the situation?  Was this the right approach?  Would it have been better for them to ignore the criticism and instead put more emphasis on a different marketing campaign?