Let's face it: No one's perfect. We don't expect perfection from our spouses, employees, or parents. And now, consumers aren't expecting it from their brands.
Trendwatching.com coined the term "flawsome" to describe how now, more than ever, consumers want honesty from their brands. Consumers understand that brands are run by individuals, and individuals make mistakes. When brands admit their imperfections and show their transparency, humility, flexibility, and, ultimately, humanity, consumers are driven to that brand even more.
Standard procedure is to keep flaws far out of the consumer's sight. But, in today's fast-paced social media world, blemishes are exposed. No brand or company is perfect. How these imperfect moments are handled can make the difference between a small situation and permanent damage to your company's reputation.
Embrace Candor. Reap Results.
Miracle Whip is one brand that embraced the idea of flawsome and reaped positive results.
In February 2011, they launched a campaign with the slogan "We're not for everyone." On their YouTube channel, they had celebrities express their love (or disdain) for the sandwich spread and encouraged viewers to vote on whether they loved or hated it. After a year, 60,000 people "loved" Miracle Whip while only 4,000 "hated" it.
It turns out, people have a difficult time connecting with and trusting others who pretend to have no weaknesses. The same is true for consumer's trust of brands. In fact, trendwatching.com reports that 68 percent of consumers trust reviews more when they see both good and bad reviews. And 30 percent of consumers suspect censorship or faked reviews if there aren't any negative comments at all.
Flawsome extends into the customer service arena, too. Research company Maritz reported that 76 percent of people who complained publicly on Twitter received a response from the brand. 83 percent of those who received a response admitted they liked or loved that the brand responded, and 85 percent were satisfied with the response they received.
How Can You Be Flawsome?
Accept the fact that flawlessness doesn't exist. Mistakes will happen. It's better to own up to them, rather than cover them up with excuses or blame, or, even worse, pretend they never happened in the first place.
Seek feedback from customers. Invite comments, complaints, queries, and respond promptly and honestly. Humanize your brand, showing your customers that real people run your company instead of a faceless corporation.
Social media has created a world in which customers want a real experience shopping with their favorite brands. Bring humanity to your brand. Be flawsome.
Sincerely,
