Richard Branson apologised last week for the performance of Virgin
Trains
Will Whitehorn
Virgin
’Apologising is incredibly important. Leaves on the track can be a good
reason for things going wrong but it is still good to apologise while
you tell people. Rather than blaming Railtrack, Richard takes the
approach that the public doesn’t care who is responsible. It is still a
rarity to see people apologise in this country. There is still a blame
culture but that has never been Virgin’s way.’
Max Clifford
Max Clifford Associates
’It all depends on the person and what they’re apologising for. For
Richard Branson to apologise is fine. He just confirmed what everyone
knew - that Virgin Trains had messed up. It has got to sound totally
genuine and be given for the right reasons. The British can’t abide
arrogance. Humility goes a long way.’
John Antcliffe
Smithfield Financial
’Apologising is quite fashionable. But people who think it is a panacea
to sort out their problems are wrong. Saying sorry can be an effective
way of diffusing criticism but to be successful it must be unqualified,
offered promptly and sincerely. An apology isn’t always the right
option. After a major mistake or failure in service, the public can look
for a resignation. Then an apology is seen as an attempt to avoid
it.’
Roddy Kennedy
BP
’I don’t set much store by what I call the ’processed cheese’ apology:
the PR apology through an expensive agency. An apology has to be
genuine.
People imagine that the appearance of candour is often sufficient to
earn public goodwill and there is something coy about that. Put right
whatever it is you apologise for and ensure it doesn’t happen again. We
have said that we were not perfect in the past in general terms which is
true of every organisation and probably every person.’
Jeremy Reynolds
Prudential Corporation
’Sir Peter Davis (group chief executive) apologised to the Treasury
Select Committee. He said: ’yes the Pru did mis-sell pensions in the
mid-1980s and we want to put it right.’ That’s far healthier than
denying wrongdoing. Trust is incredibly important to a brand and people
respect you for being honest. The PR job is not to promote the apology
but the fact that there are now very strict systems to make sure it
won’t happen again.’
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