Businesses will make bad decisions. Businesses will make great decisions that have unexpected, adverse outcomes. But when a business blames the consumer for these outcomes rather than acknowledging their role in it, that’s a level of inauthenticity that many can see right through. This failure of accountability erodes any existing credibility and goodwill. Suddenly, an entire communications plan can be hijacked by a narrative no longer about the course of action, but about the messaging around it.
Up in the air
It’s important to consider what Delta could have done differently, especially because every decision a business makes is going to have winners and losers, advocates and attackers. It’s how we message them that can make these decisions a success or failure.
- When making a decision that’s going to frustrate a vocal and/or significant segment of your customers, don’t avoid discussing that outcome. Being seen and heard is a human need. Oftentimes simply acknowledging their experience is enough to ratchet down the emotion behind their response. Delta should have done more to acknowledge the Medallions who would be adversely impacted by these changes.
- Nature abhors a vacuum. Even if a brand misses the opportunity to pre-empt a negative response, a simple “we’re listening and we’ll have more to say soon” is worth more than silence.
- Take ownership. Even if a brand claims to be customer-driven, it is still senior leadership that is responsible for making decisions. Don’t deflect that. Choices can be informed or driven by customer feedback, but they should ultimately be communicated as coming from the brand.
One of the most tempting things for a brand to do is to live on the sunny side of the street. People are smiling, the grass is growing and everything’s coming up branded.
But in business, as in life, reality is a complex picture of outcomes. The more brands claim to be human-centric, empathetic and authentic, the more critical it becomes that a brand embraces what it actually means to be human: make mistakes, own failures, act with humility and speak honestly. When actions and words diverge, expect to see the type of consumer outrage Delta was on the receiving end of last week.