There are many images of Mark Zuckerberg sitting, as a public figure, in front of the United States Congress. The Facebook leader has been questioned about his users' leaks to Cambridge Analytic. Mark's in-house team has launched a tremendously thick ad campaign. Starting his first ad during the NBA (American Basketball League) playoffs to say 'I'm sorry'. So, Facebook apologizes for the leaks.
An apology that affects more than fifty million users in the world. Something that has not gone unnoticed on all other social networks launching #Hashtag to weaken the brand. That is why Facebook launches the largest campaign created since its inception.
The Facebook ad
In the ad, titled Here together ('Here Together'), Facebook wants to remind people why they signed up for Facebook. There's even a cautious dash of humor, as it hints at befriending bosses and complicated relationship statuses. However, the main point of the video is that Facebook wants to go back to basics. Help people connect with each other.
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The video, created by Facebook's internal marketing team, The Factory, does a stylish job of tackling the situation, though it's also a blazing fire for maybe it's a bit inexpensive to be honest.
Although, sometimes it doesn't seem like an apology. They explain that everything that happened is 'something that happened'. As if they had nothing to do with it, as if it were someone else's problem. Sometimes, more than an apology, they may ask for forgiveness for "Having caught us red-handed" (As they say).
The noble art of asking for forgiveness
Either way, Facebook has asked for your apology, according to the Big Fish editor, Will Awdry. Fresh from giving a talk at the 2018 D&AD Festival titled Sorry seems to be the hardest word, Awdry knows how sorry he is when he sees it.
In this Awdry shows that he understands a little. And he has defined it as a criterion for everyone to follow when asking for forgiveness. Whereas Facebook has followed "the six immutable rules to the letter." The rules are as follows:
- Start with 'I'm sorry'
- Admit guilt and own it
- Explain that they are making amends
- Design a future (with, perhaps, promising it in terms of cast iron and indefensible) that is better for all users
- Keep the language simple. No complications or turns of the page
- Explain to your consumer the problem and what they are doing to rectify it in terms, content and a context that reflects what your audience thinks and feels.
"The main quality to admire is that Facebook has accepted total guilt," Awdry continues. "There is no attempt to fight back." “There have been press comments that discussed Zuckerberg's desire to combine the utopian, shared and community-based values of Facebook with a highly aggressive financial model and ethos. That actually overshadowed the apology, IMHO.
Conclusion
So does Facebook say it? It depends on how you look at Facebook. If you see the site as a harmless way to connect with your near and dear ones, the melancholic music of the ad and the sincere intention may convince you. But if you are the type of person who doesn't even like to share your personal data with your doctor, this probably won't convince you to log in.
The use of Facebook seems to affect the platform very little. That is why we should think about the use we give it. Is it so necessary that we do not affect a "few personal data" for sale? Despite the criticism and despite the accusations they pour out about it, it does not seem like a sudden change that is going to take, firstly the management and the Zuckerberg team and secondly, the Facebook user community.