Negative publicity reduces the value of your brand; it circulates faster and attracts more attention than other news. Negative publicity can cause customers and partners to judge your brand more negatively which can be devastating to your brand value due to today's high competition. And in a world dominated by social media, almost no brand can escape it sooner or later. How do you deal with this?
"Every company will at some point make a serious mistake or offend part of its audience. And with social media, there is no way such mistakes can go unnoticed."
Forbes
Examples of negative publicity
The special page in which Tony's Chocolonely explains the negative publicity.
Tony's Chocolonely
News broke in 2021 that Tony's Chocolonely is no longer on the list of companies making slave-free chocolate. The American organization Slave Free Chocolate had removed the Dutch chocolate maker because it works with a major producer that uses cocoa produced using child labor.
This was devastating for the brand's image because Tony's Chocolonely's big mission is: together we make 100% slave-free the norm in chocolate. Tony's Chocolonely responded with a press release and dedicated a special page on their site to explain the situation.
Read the statement here
The construction workers in Jumbo's commercial.
Jumbo
Just before the much-discussed 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Jumbo came out with a festive advertising video dominated by the World Cup. Jumbo immediately removed the World Cup commercial in which, among other things, construction workers in orange uniforms walked over construction scaffolding. The advertising offended many people and human rights organizations. The construction of the World Cup stadiums in Qatar and the infrastructure surrounding them involved gross human rights violations and many deaths. " It is a scandalous and offensive advertisement," said Jan Kooy of Human Rights Watch.
In addition to taking the advertisement off the tube, Jumbo also came up with an apology: "We now realize that in this advertisement a link can be made to the miserable working conditions in Qatar and that was never our intention," Jumbo reports. "We deeply regret this and sincerely apologize for this."
Premier New Zealand
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern called MP David Seymour "an arrogant prick." The comment Ardern muttered about Seymour was inadvertently caught by a microphone that was still on. The sneer appeared in the record of the debate.
Seymour said she was surprised by Ardern's language and the prime minister apologized. In the end, Seymour came up with the idea of an auction of the minutes to raise money for prostate cancer research. Both signed the minutes, which could be bid on online.
The government minutes in which New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern called MP David Seymour "an arrogant prick" have been auctioned off for more than 100,000 New Zealand dollars, equivalent to about 60,000 euros. The money will go to a foundation that researches prostate cancer.
5 tips to help your brand deal with negative publicity
In many cases, fortunately, there are lots of things you can do to handle negative publicity well (sometimes this is just virtually impossible, for example on dark socials)
1. Always apologize, even if it wasn't your fault
It is important to always apologize, even if it was not your fault. This is because apologizing is a way of showing that you understand the situation and the feelings of the other person and your customers. It also shows that you respect others and want to try to resolve the situation.
Apologizing can also help ease tensions and create a more positive atmosphere. If someone feels attacked or angry, apologizing can help calm the other person down and improve the relationship.
2. Apologize in a timely manner and consider doing it privately or publicly, depending on the seriousness of the matter
It is important to apologize in a timely manner when you have done something wrong or hurt someone's feelings. This prevents the negative publicity from becoming bigger than it actually is and you as a brand appearing to make excuses purely because it goes viral instead of coming across as sincere.
When apologizing, it is also important to consider whether you want to do it privately or publicly, depending on the seriousness of the matter. In some cases, apologizing publicly may be necessary, such as if you have done something that affects a larger audience or if you have hurt someone publicly. In other cases, it may be better to apologize privately, such as if the situation is less serious or if you have a personal relationship with the person to whom you are apologizing.
It is important to remember that apologizing does not mean you are guilty or giving permission to be treated in a way you do not accept. It is a way of showing that you understand the situation and the other person's feelings and that you want to try to resolve the situation.
3. Take a good look at who needs to apologize to have the greatest impact
It is important to carefully consider who should apologize to have the greatest impact. In some cases, apologizing by a leader, such as a CEO or manager, may carry more weight because this person is responsible for the well-being and performance of the organization. If the leader apologizes, it can show that he or she understands the situation and the feelings of others, and can help to restore trust and improve the relationship.
On the other hand, employee apologies can also be effective, especially if they were directly involved in the situation for which apologies are being offered. This can show that employees understand the situation and the feelings of others, and it can help restore trust and improve the relationship.
4. It's not just about what you say, but also how you say it
When you apologize, it is important to make sure your apology is honest and sincere. Sincerity is reflected in your face and voice. Studies show that the tone of voice determines 38% of how much we like a message, with facial expressions it is 55%. This means that how you say something is just as important as what you say. If you sincerely apologize, customers will feel this and know that you care about the relationship with them.
5. Avoid the words "if" or "but" in your apology
These words turn your apology into an excuse and can make the other person feel unheard or misunderstood.
For example: Which of these excuses seems more sincere?
- "Sorry I was late, but the traffic was completely jammed."
- "Sorry I was late. The traffic was totally jammed."
The second apology seems more sincere because it contains no "but." It is a simple apology without suggesting that someone else or something else is to blame.
Use your excuses as a strategy
In general, when negative publicity occurs, brands should apologize and use it as a strategic tool to mitigate short-term damage and improve long-term customer relationships.
Negative publicity can be damaging to a brand, especially when it comes to customer trust and brand value. A quick and sincere apology can prevent customers from turning their backs on your brand and sales from dropping.
Content of your apology
The content of an apology may consist of any or all of the following, depending on the severity of the case:
- Cognitive: explaining the cause of the problem and how the brand intends to address it. This can help show understanding of the situation and the feelings of others.
- Conative: the brand takes responsibility. This shows that the brand is honest, sincere and understanding of the situation and feelings of others.
- Affective: the brand shows its regret, sadness and compassion. This can help show that the brand is concerned about the situation and the feelings of others, and can help restore trust and improve the relationship.
Summary
To make excuses, you have to decide what (content), when (timing), who (the spokesperson) and how (methodology).
The content of an apology is important because it shows what the brand understands about the situation and the feelings of others. It is important to be honest and sincere and avoid using "if" or "but."
The timing of an apology is also important because it can help mitigate short-term damage. A quick apology can help prevent customers from turning their backs on the brand and sales from dropping.
The spokesperson for an apology is also important because it can show who is responsible for the well-being and performance of the brand. In some cases, apologizing by a leader, such as a CEO or manager, may carry more weight because this person is responsible for the well-being and performance of the organization.
The methodology, or how do you apologize? You determine whether apologizing publicly is necessary or whether it is better to apologize privately.
Steps for an effective apology
- Out of your regrets
- Explain what went wrong
- Take responsibility
- Show repentance (e.g. explain that it would not happen again)
- Offer compensation (e.g., a coupon, free product or discount code)
- Ask for forgiveness
Steps for an effective apology
Example of a bad apology
The Volkswagen emissions scandal: When regulators discovered that VW cars were using banned equipment to meet emissions regulations, the then CEO of the VW branch in the U.S. did not apologize. Instead, he laid the blame on someone else: "These events are very worrying. I didn't think something like this was possible at Volkswagen Group [. . .] These were a few software engineers who did this for whatever reason [. . .] This was not a joint decision. There was no board meeting that approved this."
This apology shows that the CEO has no idea about the team or company he is leading also he chooses to blame someone else. Both are detrimental to a brand.
Example of a good apology
A content creator went on vacation to a remote location without internet. Her social media planning tools stopped working the day she left. Her clients had no content for several days, and understandably, she received angry emails when she returned. This is her response, which was positively received by the clients:
"Dear client, I just ran into a problem with the scheduling app I use for social media, which means only one post was shared on your account last week. Sorry for the error! I was on vacation from Wednesday to today celebrating my birthday and therefore did not notice it. To make up for the missed posts, I will schedule 4 additional posts over the next 2 weeks and start a 1-day growth campaign on your accounts. Again, hopefully you will accept my apologies for this error."
Help with your strategy
Of course, we hope you never find yourself in the situation where you have to make excuses for negative publicity about your brand. Should this happen, we hope this blog will help you turn this threat into an opportunity to increase brand equity and trust in your brand. If you need help with this you can always contact us.
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