Artist: Banksy. Photo by Duncan Hull via Flickr.
Used with permission.
Does a corporate apology for marketing really mean anything?
There’s been a lot of apologizing going on lately. The most recent example I’ve noticed is JC Penny, doing a whopping 180-degree about-face on the actions of their former CEO Ron Johnson, having to do with their new approach to marketing (no sales, just fair prices). That CEO’s former company? Apple.
Apple also did an apology for its Maps product a while back. This would have been unthinkable with Steve Jobs at the helm, but those days are over. For what it’s worth, I’ve used Apple maps in NYC, Los Angeles, and many U.S. cities in between without fail. But I can’t remember the last time I purchased anything from a JC Penny. And it’s one of the anchor stores at the local mall.
The Verdict? Yawn.
My thinking on apologies from large companies is, “ho-hum.” My heart goes out to the PR teams and corporate communicators who are charged with carrying these out, but I’m far more interested in hearing what’s going to be done about the situation, and getting on with that. At least in the case of Makers’s Mark, it resulted in something (though I still wonder if this was a stunt). Sure, it’s nice to hear an apology, and in these days of greater corporate accessibility via social media, it isn’t altogether inappropriate. But I think what really matters is getting back to business.
What do you think? Do the actions of JC Penny or Apple or any company’s apology for their missteps get your attention? Are there any examples of this being extremely effective? Let us hear from you in the comments.
Related articles
- JC Penny’s Collapse (seanmalstrom.wordpress.com)
- “Ron Johnson Didn’t Understand Apple” (tightwind.net)
- Ship Your Pants (maeganmarshall.wordpress.com)
- And the tragedy continues.. (valueacceleration.wordpress.com)
- JC Penny Uses Social Media to Fix Image. “We Are Listening” (onlinesocialmedianews.wordpress.com)
