Why a public apology will save your brand and let you move on

Oh, boy, have they changed.

In the world of social media, now the opposite is true. Today we look at a brand’s ability to admit wrongdoing and to ask for forgiveness as a sign of strength, character and proof that they’re “just like us.” In the era of engagement and 24-hour Internet firestorms, owning your goofs has become a brand’s best line of defense in protecting itself from becoming publicly slimed.

By admitting error and being transparent in your attempts to clean it up, brands can actually come away from public gaffes better than they came in. Unfortunately, many brands still refuse to accept this. They drag their feet hopping on the forgiveness wagon and instead get dragged over the coals in the court of public opinion. But it doesn’t have to go down like that.

Let’s take a look at three brands that were recently slimed in social media and how they could have lessened the damage if they’d only said “we’re sorry.”

1. Judith Griggs & the copyright follies