It may be difficult to say you’re sorry, but these public apology examples are a class in taking responsibility for your blunders:
1. Lizzo
In October 2018, Grammy winner Lizzo was the target of a torrent of criticism after the release of her song “Grrrls,” with many fans accusing her of using an ableist phrase. Lizzo and her team reacted swiftly by re-recording the track and issuing a statement on social media.
In a short apology, Lizzo accomplishes several things: she acknowledges the mistake, sympathizes with her audience, and ends with an actionable step to redeem herself.
Since Lizzo’s brand is about inclusivity and self-love, her apology comes across as sincere and accurate.
2. The Hollywood Reporter
Never anger a comic book fan–you’ll live to regret it, especially if they’re avid Marvel readers. In early July 2022, the Hollywood Reporter received massive amounts of backlash on Twitter for its article headline about Anthony Mackie taking up the mantle of Captain America once again.
3. Abbott Labs
Robert Ford, CEO of Abbott Laboratories, apologizes for the company’s role in the recent baby formula shortage in an op-ed published in the Washington Post. In the article, he expresses remorse for “every family we’ve let down” and explains what caused the recall of their formula.
He also detailed the company’s plan to avoid such a shortage in the future, which includes restarting production at one of its facilities earlier than scheduled—June 2022—and placing baby formula as its top priority over adult products.
4. Skittles
It’s not necessary for every apology to be deadly serious. Customers have been clamoring for Skittles’ discontinued lime-flavored candy to return since 2013 when the brand replaced it with green apple.
5. Target
In 2013, 40 million credit card records and 70 million customer records were stolen from Target by hackers. Consequently, the big-box retailer had to take various measures to win back the trust of its customers and regain a good reputation.
SafeBreach Incident Response Team responded to the attack, releasing several written apologies outlining what they had done to prevent it, including a full-page newspaper ad informing customers of their efforts to restore security and assist them.
6. Chick-fil-A
Chick-fil-A’s excellent customer service is well-known, and it’s no surprise that their social media customer care is just as good. They’re active in their Instagram comments all the time.
7. Evian
TikTok user, food critic, and pro-MMA fighter Keith Lee recently called out a water company after having a very negative experience at one of their events. In his TikTok vlog, he showed flooded floors, dirty cups, and unsanitary food – the list goes on.
He also mentioned spending $100 after leaving the event because he couldn’t eat any of the food due to his shellfish allergy and concerns about food safety.
8. PwC
The 2017 Academy Awards were Leigh Corrigan’s life for almost a year. If you recall, that night, social media was in an uproar.
9. FedEx
In addition to other social media platforms, FedEx also uses Instagram comments to provide customer service. Usually, negative messages are centered around packages that never arrived or were delivered late.
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