When facing a significant customer service issue with a brand you care about, bypass standard channels and email the founder or CEO. Frame your feedback constructively. High-level leaders are often disconnected from front-line issues and appreciate direct, actionable feedback, leading to white-glove service and a faster, more favorable resolution.

Instead of hiding early product flaws, founders can build a stronger community by openly sharing their mistakes and the correction process. This transparency makes the brand more relatable and human, fostering trust and loyalty more effectively than projecting an image of perfection.

When Norwegian Wool accidentally ruined a customer's Christmas surprise, they didn't just apologize—they sent a second coat for free. This extreme ownership turns a negative experience into a powerful story of goodwill, creating a lifelong brand advocate and reinforcing luxury values.

When a customer just misses a new promotion, don't enforce the cutoff date rigidly. Giving them the promotional item costs little but generates immense goodwill, turning a potential complaint into a story of exceptional customer service and creating a loyal advocate.

Systematically identify frustrating moments in the customer journey, like waiting for the check. Instead of just minimizing the pain, reinvent these moments to be delightful. Guidara’s example of offering a complimentary bottle of cognac with the bill turns a negative into a generous, memorable gesture.

Brands, particularly in B2B, are often too serious and miss the power of humor. Laughter releases bonding hormones like oxytocin, creating an instant connection with an audience. It's a universal language that can dissolve conflict and make a brand more human and memorable.

When a TikTok influencer misused and trashed her foundation, Bobbi Brown responded not with anger, but with a humorous video showing the correct application before mimicking the influencer's absurd method. This authentic, funny "clap back" went viral, quadrupling business and demonstrating how to handle criticism with brand-aligned humor.

The most delighted users are not those with a perfect first experience, but those who report a problem and see it fixed almost instantly. This rapid response transforms an initial frustration into a powerful moment of trust and advocacy, creating your strongest allies.

When a new dry shampoo had a quality issue and began exploding, Way avoided a PR disaster by owning it with humor. They created a #FoamParty hashtag, reposted customer photos, and filmed themselves reading "mean reviews." This transparent, humorous approach built significant brand trust and loyalty out of a crisis.