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Apology Ads

Design Angler - Tuesday, June 26, 2018

If you’ve watched TV or used any type of social media lately, it is likely you’ve seen one of the apology ads that consumers everywhere have been questioning, and more so, criticizing. So, what is it about the apology ads issued by Wells Fargo, Uber, and Facebook that have consumers concerned, and what does it take to make a sincere, and trustworthy, apology campaign?

Wells Fargo, Uber, and Facebook have all been facing scandals recently. Wells Fargo has paid over $1 billion dollars in settlements for overcharging customers on loans. Uber was almost banned from Apple’s App Store for tracking users' iPhone data without permission, and Facebook is still trying to come back from the data misuse in the Cambridge Analytica scandal. All three companies have released campaign ads and all three ads follow the same platform, issuing an apology and making a promise to change their ways in hopes of regaining customers’ trust. Viewers haven’t been impressed with these ads. None of the companies take responsibility for their actions triggering a loss in customers’ trust in the first place, nor do they inform the customers of exactly what they are doing to change for the better.

When issuing an apology statement, there are six key steps a company should take to ensure they’re as sincere and genuine as possible.

  1. Apologize as soon as possible- Apologizing as soon as possible leaves less time for backlash. Owning up to a mistake makes a company seem more genuine, as opposed to hiding the mistake until it is exposed.
  2. Do it in person if you can- Hearing a real person apologize instead of a letter or a narrator on a commercial will increase the sincerity.
  3. Identify what you did wrong- This might be the most important step. Taking responsibility for wrong-doings will earn more respect and trust from a customer.
  4. Express feelings of regret and remorse about the situation- Be sincere. A customer needs to know you’re truly sorry in order to regain their trust.
  5. Identify what you will do to repair the damage caused by your actions or words- Explain the alterations you are making to change for the better. If your customer knows exactly what you’re doing, you’re more likely to earn their trust.
  6. Let it go and move on- If you don’t move on from controversy, neither will your customers.

Everyone makes mistakes, so the fact that there was wrong-doing isn’t the problem, it’s the way companies recover from it that’s important. Customers are looking for companies they can trust. At Design Angler, we’re passionate about marketing for our clients in a way that consumers trust. If you’re interested in what Design Angler offers, you can learn more about our services on our website.

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