Have you ever found a broken link on your website? Accidentally emailed an unfinished newsletter to your database? Posted a personal photo on your brand’s socials?
You’re not alone. Marketing mistakes happen when you’re managing masses of content and intricate customer journeys. It’s human nature.
And with a little creativity, mistakes can be a good thing – an opportunity to build rapport with your customers.
Take 404 error pages as an example.
Usually a minor frustration for the customer, Renny Gleeson of Wieden+Kennedy looked at how to flip the 404 experience and use it as an engagement opportunity, in this TED Talk.
According to Renny, this is a chance to talk directly to your audience, admit fault and build a stronger relationship with them.
Customer experiences have come a long way since this TED Talk in 2012. Now they are more complex and have more touch points, which means there is a higher chance things can go wrong.
But all the little moments, done right, build brand personality and loyalty.
It’s the mishaps that make us.
So, let’s embrace mistakes, because they’re full of creative opportunities. Here’s how:
Find funniness.
What if an aged care home accidentally used the phrase ‘you can rest in peace’ instead of ‘you don’t have to worry’? What if a brand announced a new product was ‘coming soon’ on a billboard above an adult shop? Sometimes it’s hard to tell if entertaining errors are mistakes or marketing flair.
Regardless, fcuk ups are funny. They can be used as customer ice-breakers to amuse and engage – just like Heinz’s purposely slow landing page or Google Chrome’s dinosaur game.
Be real.
If the rise in popularity of BeReal is anything to go by, realness is in. People crave open, honest and authentic interaction – especially from brands. Customers will tend to remember how they feel more than what went wrong. They might talk about the mistake, but they’ll definitely talk about the fix if you go above and beyond.
Next time a customer points out a mistake you’ve made, be upfront and apologise.
Find a way to own it.
Learn and share.
Recently on Triple J’s Hack program, host Dave Marchese slipped up and referred to G Flip with the wrong pronouns. Instead of deleting his mistake from the pre-recorded interview, he left it in (with G Flip’s permission). They used it to discuss non-binary identities and ways to navigate conversations around gender.
The mistake became a learning opportunity, and a chance to reassess, grow and share. Have a listen here.
What if, after the former Prime Minister and Cabinet’s communications team unveiled their embarrassingly phallic Women’s Network logo, they owned the oversight and embarked on much-needed cultural change in federal parliament?
Make change.
In 2018, two Black men were arrested while waiting for a friend at a Starbucks in Philadelphia, igniting accusations of institutional racism and the hashtag #BoycottStarbucks.
Following this appalling mistake, the CEO of Starbucks offered an apology, released a public statement, began an internal review, and closed every Starbucks for mandatory racial-bias training.
Mistakes have power, they can be the catalyst for change.
See beauty.
Electronic music pioneer Ryuichi Sakamoto put it like this:
“I am open to mistakes…I do play lots of wrong notes while I am making some music, and a mistake or a wrong note is like a gift for me: ‘Oh, wow, an unknown sound or an unknown harmony. I didn’t know about this.”
In primary school classrooms, when a kid spills paint or accidentally sticks things together, teachers don’t call it a ‘mistake’. They call it a ‘beautiful oops’.
I think it’s time – as adults – we owned our ‘beautiful oopses’ too.
You never know the opportunities that might arise.
If there have been any typos in this article please let us know. It’s an excellent excuse for a chat.