What to do when your brand makes a mistake (according to social psychology)

We’ve all had moments of great embarrassment. Tripping in front of a crowd, messing up an important presentation, spilling food everywhere. If you can think it, chances are someone’s done it — even high-profile celebrities and brands. And we love them for it; possibly, even more than we did before.

While the notion of appreciating mistakes sounds odd, it’s actually human psychology that makes it possible. Experts call it the Pratfall Effect, a brain science phenomenon that discusses how the likability of a high-status person or brand increases if an unexpected error occurs. 

Dr. Laurence Stybel, licensed psychologist and co-founder of Stybel Peabody Associates, Inc., spoke to us about how the Pratfall Effect began and what it might mean for your brand's next mistake.

Here are the highlights from our conversation:

The Pratfall Effect

Like many dominant principles, the Pratfall Effect began at the top of a societal hierarchy and trickled down into the general population. The political arena, the world’s largest stage, displayed how humans are expected to react when encountering the Pratfall Effect.

“The inspiration for this was political. In the aftermath of the Bay of Pigs fiasco, President John F. Kennedy went on national television and said that this was a failure and he was responsible. His popularity went up! In the aftermath of Watergate when it was clear that President Richard Nixon had covered up important information, he went on national television and denied wrongdoing. His popularity went down,” Stybel said.

If there’s any large figure you’d want to see own up to their mistakes, it’s probably someone who has power over decisions that may impact you in the future. Consumers have similar expectations for the brands they purchase products from and when those expectations are met, their appreciation for your efforts increase greatly.

Think of the last time a large brand made a mistake. Did they announce it and act quickly to resolve things? How did the public react? Chances are, you can think of many brand-specific examples of the Pratfall Effect at work. 

Many brands have encountered blunders and chose to be silent in hopes that everything would blow over. While some may get lucky, this sort of response can cause more harm than good.

In no way are we saying your brand should be running full-speed towards a botched product design or PR disaster. But it is helpful to know that owning up to mistakes when they do happen can work in your favor.

Social psychology provides us with a lot of hidden gems, even unforeseen solutions to complicated issues. The Pratfall Effect is a complex tool for strengthening trust, encouraging transparency and promoting better customer relationships, but only when utilized properly.