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Warts and all: Can acknowledging a negative be a positive?

Can the credibility of your marketing message benefit from accentuating the negative? According to a report published in Psychological Science, negative acknowledgment — or “the admission of an unfavorable quality or characteristic to manage what would otherwise be a negative evaluation”1 — may have some surprisingly positive effects. 

Acknowledging a negative ­— or “a wart” ­— is a technique frequently used in public speaking to manage audience impressions (e.g., “This is a gross oversimplification, but…”). Max Sutherland, author of Acknowledging a Wart — Profiting from Honest Advertising, explains that “Speakers acknowledge a negative and presumably hope to get more credibility for what they say next.”

About the study:

In a report that appeared in Psychological Science, participants of one study were asked to read a confusing paragraph. Some of the readers were given the paragraph with a written introduction that acknowledged the unclear nature of the text that followed, while others were provided only the confusing paragraph.1

The participants who read the paragraph with the negative acknowledgment rated the text as clearer than did participants who read the paragraph without the introduction, even though the content of the paragraph was identical.1

According to authors Al Ries and Jack Trout, as described in The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing, acknowledging a negative can be especially advantageous in advertising. “Every negative statement you make about yourself is instantly accepted as truth. Positive statements, on the other hand, are looked at as dubious at best. Especially in an advertisement.”2

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

  • Acknowledging a negative can often make an audience more receptive to the message that follows.1
  • By presenting both sides of an argument, it may be possible to preempt potential objections.
  • Acknowledging a negative can be a successful technique when trying to separate a brand from the competition.2 (See below.)
  • Business-to-business marketers can successfully use the technique of acknowledging a negative. (See below.)

“This may sound crazy, but…”

In the end, acknowledging a negative may come with some risk if not presented correctly. According to Sutherland, “Acknowledging warts may not be for everyone, but…it can be a savvy way to build trust and credibility in a brand, a way to profit from honest advertising.”

Is the technique of acknowledging a negative the right approach for your marketing? That depends. As Sutherland suggests, it can be a way to separate a brand from the competition, but it’s not the only way. As such, acknowledging a negative is a technique best used with great skill and under specific market conditions (e.g., when trying to compete with a market leader). As Ries and Trout remind us, acknowledging a negative “only proves the old maxim: Honesty is the best policy.”

As illustrated in the fictitious example here, by acknowledging that their product is more expensive than the competitor — which could be perceived as negative — ACME widgets shifts the focus to the long-term benefits of a higher-quality part.

Two steps to effectively acknowledging a negative

1. The “negative” must be widely perceived as a negative. It has to trigger an instant agreement with the audience.3

As Ries and Trout explain: “Years ago, Scope entered (the market) as a ‘good-tasting’ mouthwash, thus exploiting Listerine’s truly terrible taste.” Listerine responded by acknowledging “The taste you hate twice a day.”

2. Shift quickly to the positive. The main purpose of acknowledging a negative is to set up a benefit that will convince the audience.3

Listerine quickly followed up their example with the benefit that it “kills a lot of germs.”

1 Brenner, L. & Ward, A. (2006). Accentuate the Negative: the Positive Effects of Negative Acknowledgment. Psychological Science, 17(11):959-962.

2 Ries, A., & Trout, J. (1993). The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers Inc.

3 Sutherland, M. (2007, April). Acknowledging a Wart—Profiting from Honest Advertising. AdandMind.com. Retrieved from http://www.sutherlandsurvey.com/Column_pages/acknowledging_a_wart.html.

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