Post by Deleted on Sept 28, 2017 13:36:39 GMT
PR done right.
"We live in a world in which people don't want to take responsibility for what they do wrong. When forced, they issue non-apologies. They find a way to take the down the person who was offended or victimized. You know how it works:
"Mistakes were made."
"I'm sorry...if my words were misconstrued."
"It's unfortunate that the victim's face got in the way of my fist."
The last one is a joke of course, but just barely. You recognize the hyperbole. And that's why the CEO behind a recent corporate apology--a masterful one at that--is all the more striking.
Believe it or not, the company is Uber. The statement was issued yesterday by its new CEO, Dara Khosrowshahi.
Context: The city of London decided not to renew Uber's license to operate in the capital city, effective September 30, saying Uber was "not fit and proper" to run a car service.
The suspension date is a bit of a legal fiction, since Uber has already said it plans to appeal and it has the right to keep operating until its appeal has been heard. But there's a massive legal and PR effort in Uber's future. This is a big deal for Uber--losing its largest base of operations in Europe isn't just about London; it's about other cities that could decide to restrict it more strictly, too.
The company has 40,000 drivers and 3.5 million customers in London--and a half a million signed a petition to let them stay. But they're up against the mayor of London and the storied black cab industry--and, let's be honest: Uber is up against its own reputation.
So, yesterday Khosrowshahi issued a statement, one of the first important parts of that PR effort. Here's the key sentence--and, bolded for your convenience, the two most important words: "On behalf of everyone at Uber globally, I apologize for the mistakes we've made."
"I apologize."
"I apologize." Who the heck says that in 2017?"
How sad that we live in cultures in which "I apologize" merits a news article. But we do and it does.
Now if only other companies (looking at you United, Lularoe) would hire Uber's PR team and learn to deal w/mistakes vs. try to whitewash them.
"We live in a world in which people don't want to take responsibility for what they do wrong. When forced, they issue non-apologies. They find a way to take the down the person who was offended or victimized. You know how it works:
"Mistakes were made."
"I'm sorry...if my words were misconstrued."
"It's unfortunate that the victim's face got in the way of my fist."
The last one is a joke of course, but just barely. You recognize the hyperbole. And that's why the CEO behind a recent corporate apology--a masterful one at that--is all the more striking.
Believe it or not, the company is Uber. The statement was issued yesterday by its new CEO, Dara Khosrowshahi.
Context: The city of London decided not to renew Uber's license to operate in the capital city, effective September 30, saying Uber was "not fit and proper" to run a car service.
The suspension date is a bit of a legal fiction, since Uber has already said it plans to appeal and it has the right to keep operating until its appeal has been heard. But there's a massive legal and PR effort in Uber's future. This is a big deal for Uber--losing its largest base of operations in Europe isn't just about London; it's about other cities that could decide to restrict it more strictly, too.
The company has 40,000 drivers and 3.5 million customers in London--and a half a million signed a petition to let them stay. But they're up against the mayor of London and the storied black cab industry--and, let's be honest: Uber is up against its own reputation.
So, yesterday Khosrowshahi issued a statement, one of the first important parts of that PR effort. Here's the key sentence--and, bolded for your convenience, the two most important words: "On behalf of everyone at Uber globally, I apologize for the mistakes we've made."
"I apologize."
"I apologize." Who the heck says that in 2017?"
How sad that we live in cultures in which "I apologize" merits a news article. But we do and it does.
Now if only other companies (looking at you United, Lularoe) would hire Uber's PR team and learn to deal w/mistakes vs. try to whitewash them.
. But, I do commend Mr Khosrowshahi for being direct and contrite and Uber's board for selecting someone who appears to have the character to right the ship after Travis's brotastic (though admittedly also visionary) tenure. 
