Submitted: The Two Sides Team April 18, 2018

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has taken out full-page adverts in a string of national newspapers to apologise for a “breach of trust” after a political consultancy gained access to 50 million users’ details.

The apology appeared in plain black writing on a white background, alongside Zuckerberg’s signature and only a small Facebook logo in the Sunday Times, Mail on Sunday, Sunday Telegraph, Sunday Mirror and the Observer, which first exposed the scandal.

In other news, Oxfam also took to print and used a full-page advert in national newspapers in February to apologise to its supporters for the allegations of sexual misconduct by staff in Haiti. The ad took the form of a letter with the headline “We are so sorry”, reassuring supporters and volunteers that “we are listening”

This trend was shortly followed by KFC after the chicken supply shortage that shut down stores across the UK in February. A national newspaper ad appeared in the Metro and Sun newspapers, shows an empty KFC bucket with the letters switched round to spell “FCK” followed by an apology.

With all these major companies taking to print to apologise, it is clear that print has been a key player in its ability to distinguish the elements that make a brand trustworthy in the eyes of the consumer.

Last year Two Sides conducted an international survey of over 10,700 consumers which provided a unique insight into consumer preference, attitude and trust for print and paper in a digital world. Two Sides saw 71% of UK consumers being increasingly concerned about personal information held electronically and found that printed hard copies were believed to be the most secure way of storing information.

Consumers also look towards print for greater depth, with 63% agreeing with the statement that reading news in a print newspaper provides a deep understanding of a news story. When given the same statement for social media, only 45% of respondents agreed with it.

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