How to say sorry as a brand

Sometimes, as businesses, we need to break bad news. Maybe an order’s late. Maybe you double-booked a room. Maybe you slept through an important meeting.

“I’m sorry” White Lotus GIF

Shit happens. We all make mistakes. What’s important is what you do about it. We all know that awful pit-of-the-stomach feeling we get when we need to make an apology or break some bad news. And that’s where tone of voice comes in. Tone of voice is a helpful tool to make your message more palatable and essentially save your bacon.

Let’s look at how.

Always say sorry

I remember a few years ago brands thought if they could sidestep ‘sorry’ they could sidestep responsibility, culpability, guilt. It was either “I’m disappointed things didn’t work better this time” or the gaslighty “I’m sorry you feel that way, ma’am”. Infuriating!

But apologies work. In his book Mea Culpa: A Sociology of Apology and Reconciliation, the sociologist Nicholas Tavuchis explains that an accepted apology wipes the social slate clean.

The Nottingham School of Economics’ Centre for Decision Research and Experimental Economics found that people are more than twice as likely to forgive a company if they apologise. Even when compared to compensation in cash. They tested it out on eBay. Of the customers who left a negative review, half were offered an apology and asked to remove their review. The rest were offered €2.50 or €5 in return for withdrawing their comments. Forty-five percent of participants withdrew their comments on the apology alone. Only 23% of the group who were offered cash accepted the deal. And further tests showed that even people who had spent more money on an item preferred a simple ‘sorry’.

And it doesn’t instantly make you culpable. Thirty-five states across the US have laws that allow doctors to apologise without it being used as evidence in court. Conversely, the simple act of an apology avoids litigation, because patients aren’t left feeling annoyed and with a desire to sue, according to a paper in the Journal of Risk and Uncertainty by Benjamin Ho and Elaine Liu.

So, if you’ve ballsed up. Own it. Here’s how:

Structure

First, let’s think about what you say when you apologise. Ohio State’s Fisher College of Business says your apology needs to hit as many of their six key components as possible:

1. Expression of regret

2. Explanation of what went wrong

3. Acknowledgement of responsibility

4. Declaration of repentance

5. Offer of repair

6. Request for forgiveness

Which is a fancy way of saying: say you’re sorry about what happened, explain how it happened and how you’re responsible, show regret, indicate next steps to resolve the situation, and ask for forgiveness.

Regardless of what we think about the organisation and its practices, Mark Zuckerberg’s apology after the Facebook/Cambridge Analytica scandal had a great structure. He explained what happened before outlining the initial steps the company was taking in the wake of the scandal. His specificity is particularly convincing:  

“We’re doubling the number of people working on safety and security to more than 20,000 people by the end of this year.”

In comparison, when Boeing faced international fury after two of their 737 MAX 8 jets crashed, critics noted that despite CEO Dennis Muilenburg apologising countless times, he didn’t seem to accept responsibility:

“Boeing is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of the passengers and crew on Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, a 737 MAX 8 airplane. We extend our heartfelt sympathies to the families and loved ones of the passengers and crew on board and stand ready to support the Ethiopian Airlines team.”

Boeing is saddened? I’m sure the families of the victims would be thrilled to hear that.

Language

Okay, so you know what you’re going to say. Now, let’s figure out how you’re going to say it. This definitely isn’t the time to let your copywriter loose on the fancy language. If you’re giving bad news or apologising, keep it simple.

The London Underground gets off to a great start in this example. The first sentence uses simple, everyday language and speaks directly to passengers, really relating to what they must have experienced. Then they lose it in the second paragraph. It slips into abstract language and jargon. What’s a heavily loaded train, please?

Another example I always turn to to show how important tone of voice is comes from United Airlines. A passenger was dragged from a plane against his will (Google it, it’s horrible) and the CEO let the side down with his cold and clinical apology: 

“This is an upsetting event to all of us here at United. I apologize for having to re-accommodate these customers.”

He doesn’t acknowledge the impact on the people affected and euphemises the incident with the verb ‘re-accommodate’. If he’d stuck to the usual United tone of voice, which is cheerful and friendly, his apology might have landed a little better.

A good start is to scan your apology for stock phrases and find a more natural and authentic way to say it. I’m talking about “We regret to inform you”, “We apologise unreservedly”, “With regret” and the like. They’re so overused that they feel insincere and empty.

So, our apology is going to:

• use simple language

• address the problem head-on (no hiding behind euphemism)

• read as an authentic part of your brand’s personality

• feel natural and spontaneous, not wooden and rehearsed

Let’s wrap this section by harking back to my favourite ever apology, from Ace & Tate. It’s natural-sounding, honest but it moves towards a brighter future:

“Ace & Tate is now an official B Corporation. But let’s be real here — it didn’t come easy. There’s been a few bumps on the road to becoming a B CORP and we’re taking accountability for our actions by sharing the bad moves we’ve made. Hopefully, paving the way for a more transparent eyewear industry. Grab some popcorn, this is going to be juicy.”

The delivery

I won’t dwell here too long as I wanted to focus on the mechanics of writing an apology. But do take a moment to think carefully about the delivery of your ‘sorry’. After the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, BP angered people further when their apology came from executives from other nations and social class to the victims. Who’s the best person to give this apology? Which channels or platforms should you use? Think about the people impacted by your mistake first and foremost.

If you’d like to chat more about messaging or tone of voice for your business, I’d love to hear from you.