In a perfect world, no one would behave in a way that warrants an apology and we’d all skate through life enjoying our crisis-free existence. In a perfect world, I’d also be married to Johnny Depp (circa 1995, not current day). Unfortunately our world is far from perfect, just like we as humans are far from perfect, which means that every now and then we make a mistake and have to cough up a good ol’ apology. As PR pros, when a crisis inevitably arises it’s our job to help clients navigate the messy journey of an apology tour, ensure that they see the light at the end of the tunnel throughout the process and do all we can to make sure they come out of the crisis unscathed.
Just like in situations that us regular folks run into during our day to day lives, the first step celebrities and major corporations should tackle after making a publicized mistake is to offer a sincere, genuine apology. You might be thinking, “Um, thanks Captain Obvious,” but this often is easier said than done. It’s always a mystery to me how some of the richest, most famous individuals in pop culture today have butchered a public apology so terribly considering they’re supposed to have the best of the best behind them.
I thought this would be a great opportunity to examine two recent public apologies and dive into where one went right, and where the other went wrong. I’ve always believed it’s best to share bad news before good news, so on that note let’s dive (pun intended, ha ha ha) right into…
Ryan Lochte
While we all knew that intelligence was not exactly Ryan’s best asset (that’s putting it mildly), he took his stupidity to new heights during the summer Olympics this year in Rio. After telling a story about being robbed at gunpoint, we all watched as the Brazilian authorities and the media slowly but surely dissected and refuted Ryan’s story. Turns out, he made it all up to cover up a night of irresponsible and destructive drunken shenanigans. Considering Ryan’s extensively documented history of not being the sharpest tool in the shed, this didn’t surprise me very much. What did surprise me was the apology that followed. Instead of admitting to fabricating the story and wasting the time of the local police in investigating his allegations, he apologized for “not being more careful and candid” in his description of the evening. He spoke about how traumatic it was to be in a foreign country with a language barrier, and how “regardless of the behavior of anyone else that night,” he should have been more responsible. Frankly, it was obvious the apology was dancing around the issue, came off as phony and insincere, placed blame on the locals for the situation, and worst of all flat out denied lying. These are the type of celebrity apologies that make me scratch my head and wonder where on earth their PR team learned the art of saying sorry. Naturally, this “apology” did little to put out the media sh*tstorm, and even resulted in Al Roker (a true national treasure), losing his temper on air. If even Al Roker has had it up to here with you, you know you’ve messed up big time. Eventually, Ryan went on the Today Show for a tearful sit-down apology with Matt Laurer, but it seemed to be too little too late – several sponsors have dropped Ryan, and it’s likely his career won’t bounce back.
Moving on to an example of a company that totally nailed their public apology. Drumroll please…
Gold’s Gym
This chain recently had a scandal that came and went pretty quickly, in part due to what I believe was an excellent public apology. It began with this incredibly insensitive image, which was posted on social media by one of the company’s franchised locations in Egypt:
There is so much wrong with this image and its message that it’s truly baffling someone would think it was appropriate to post. As a brand, Gold’s Gym has positioned itself as the type of gym where an average person can go and work on their wellness goals in a comfortable environment. Therefore, asserting that a woman being pear-shaped is somehow wrong goes against everything the company allegedly stands for.
However, the Gold’s Gym team jumped right in and immediately issued an apology that was a great response to the issue. They owned up to the mistake while simultaneously distancing the company from the situation by continuously repeating this image came from a sub-franchise, as well as emphatically expressing their disappointment with the image and ensuring that the franchisee was immediately let go. Ryan Lochte could learn a thing or two from this outstanding apology:
Overall, here are a few do’s and dont’s to keep in mind when apologizing:
DO own up to your mistake
DO be completely honest – no room for sugarcoating in an apology
DO be prompt and timely
DO recognize where you went wrong
DO offer a solution and emphasize the mistake won’t be repeated
DON’T make excuses
DON’T blame others
DON’T use the phrase “sorry if you were offended”
DON’T demand forgiveness
DON’T follow the apology with “I’m sorry, but…”
