Why Your Company Should Admit Its Mistakes

In December, national pizza chain Domino's took a leap of faith by producing television ads that expressed what many consumers had known for years-their pizza tasted like cardboard. The series of ads came on the brink of a complete revamp for the chain, an introduction of new ingredients to revitalize fledgling sales. The company bypassed the traditional (and tired) "new and improved" lines and told consumers what they wanted to hear, the honest truth.

There's a lesson to be learned from Domino's risky endeavor, one that can be applied to the marketing efforts of every company from national chains to small-scale startups. Customers are the most astute of critics; they cut through advertising fluff, see past hollow promises and hyperbole, and ultimately trust their mind (and in Domino's case, their taste buds) over any ad agency. Trying to cover up negative attention or talk your way out of sticky situations not only diminishes the trust customers have placed in your brand, it usually just doesn't work.

As a business owner or marketer, you have to operate within the mindset that consumers simply can't be fooled. Once this paradigm is adopted, you can begin to leverage one of the most valuable marketing tools at your disposal, genuine conversation. Acknowledging your prices were too high, confessing your service could have been better, in one way or another acknowledging that your "pizza tasted like cardboard" lets customers know you're approaching them from a position of sincerity. That sincerity, in turn, lets your audience know that you genuinely value their business.

The beauty of this approach is that admission of past missteps sheds an even brighter light on the new direction of your future. When your company is continually concerned about keeping a clean slate, your earnest efforts at improvement will be lumped in with your promises of the past. The "one bad apple" in a customer's mind can ruin the whole bunch you are so strongly invested in. Leveling with your customers about what your company has done, whether that's enacted on a personal level or more broadly, makes them take notice of what you're doing now. "If that company is willing to recognize those things that ticked me off," your customers will likely say, "I think I'm willing to give them another try."

As you can see, a discussion that starts in marketing quickly becomes an extremely valuable customer service tool. Domino's national ad campaign spoke more personally to the pizza lovers of America than most ads ever have the power to. "New and Improved" is something you proclaim on every street corner, but "We were wrong" is something you say in private. Rising stock prices and year-end projections that shatter last year's are proof that consumers took notice.

Coming clean with customers, telling the hard truth and how you're going to make it better, is one of the most effective methods a company can use to move on from past mistakes and pave the way to a prosperous future. If the time comes, tell your audience you messed up. They won't be shocked at your mistakes (they've probably known all along), but they will be pleasantly surprised by your honesty and more likely than not, eager to see what you've got in store.