Are Fake Apology Ads Already Wearing Out Their Welcome?

In a recent report put forth by Modern Retail’s Julia Waldow, one marketing trend making a splash on social media these days — fake apologies issued by retailers and brands — was thoroughly examined.

“These fake apology posts, as they have been dubbed, represent the latest trend brands have jumped on to go viral and drive engagement. It’s a way to capture the attention of a generation that’s accustomed to companies taking to Instagram to issue apologies for data leaks, tone-deaf marketing campaigns and a host of other corporate missteps,” Waldow wrote, pivoting to note that reaction to the practice was decidedly mixed.

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The fake apology post works as follows: Brands — including Blume, Mario Badescu, JVN Hair, and Material Kitchen, among others — post an official-looking notice which essentially “apologizes” to customers for their products or services being so good as to become problematic (in humorous fashion).

From the brand and retailer side of the equation, these posts appear to be garnering desired attention. Lauren Barker, CEO of bladder-support brand Uresta, told Modern Retail that their team had embraced this emerging play.

“We sell such a serious product that can be a bit isolating, … so we want to lean into humor. It’s one of our brand pillars. We’re all laughing at the same joke. There’s this shared feeling of, ‘I’m not alone in this,’” Barker said, also highlighting that Uresta’s relatively small team size allowed to leverage trends — such as the fake apology marketing approach — in short order.

Barker also noted that Uresta had intentionally used lighter, amusing language to distinguish the apology from what one might expect from the genuine article.

“Of course, if there was something real, the tone would be a lot different than a cheeky message. But hopefully, we don’t ever have to be in that position,” she added.

Do Fake Apology Ads Run the Risk of Wearing Thin, or Diminishing Potential Future Crises?

Barker’s appeal to the sense of comedic timing tied to this marketing trend’s tropes could end up being costly, however, according to some analysts. Critics of the fake apology ad theme suggest that, much like Aesop’s fable of “The Boy Who Cried Wolf,” these campaigns could end up being a net negative should an actual event requiring a serious apology emerge in the near term.

Waldow quoted PR and crisis communications professional Andy Barr on the subject.

“It’s quite commercially naive of a lot of organizations to use this tactic, because they’re almost saying they’re hoping that they never have an actual crisis in the future,” Barr noted.

“When they do put out a crisis statement, people aren’t going to take it as seriously,” he added.

Another potential problem with the ads is that they run the risk of running their course, almost certainly being a one-off rather than a continuing campaign — and appreciation for the format may already have reached its expiration date.

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Jessica Levinson, senior retention marketing manager for Milk Bar, recently took to LinkedIn to share her thoughts:

“I think I’ve officially hit my limit with the ‘brand apology letter’ thing. Every time I open my feed, there’s another one apologizing for being too delicious, too iconic, too life-changing… and I just sit there wondering who this is actually for. If everyone is doing the exact same format, is it still clever? Is it doing anything for you? Or does it just look like, ‘Well, we had no original thoughts left this week, so here’s our fake apology too,’” she began.

“I don’t work in social — that’s not my lane. So maybe I’m missing some massive performance upside. But from the outside, it’s starting to feel less like clever marketing and more like everyone submitting the same homework,” she added.

Anjali Bal, associate professor of marketing at Babson College, was cited by Waldow, underscoring that while the fake apology marketing approach was visually arresting and often compelling, it was also intrinsically limited and may have already become old news.

Likewise, Molly McPherson — a crisis and reputations strategist — told Modern Retail that said posts were “clever at first glance, but they wear thin fast.”

“Personally, I don’t think people want to feel hoodwinked by a brand they likely follow. Sure, the posts get views — anything [signaling] a posted apology tends to get a click — but that doesn’t mean it builds connection,” McPherson concluded.