How to choose the right flaw
- Gerald Ratner, owner of the world's biggest jewelry chain, made one joke about his own products. About £500 million in value vanished. Wrong flaw.
He told a room of business people his company sold "total crap.".
Newspapers loved it. Customers didn't.
The chain nearly collapsed. His name left the company. Britain still calls it "doing a Ratner."
A flaw can sell. A flaw can also kill.
The difference is the choice.
Rule 1. The flaw must prove a strength.
Buckley's cough syrup, Canada, 1986.
"It tastes awful. And it works.".
Awful taste became evidence. Medicine that tastes bad must be strong.
Ratner's flaw proved nothing. Just crap.
Rule 2. Never in the core.
Ratner sold jewelry and called the jewelry crap. Core hit.
Buckley's sells relief, not taste. The flaw sits next to the product, not inside it.
Rule 3. Strengths first. Flaw second.
Ein-Gar, Shiv and Tormala, 2012. A small negative detail, placed after the positives, raised ratings.
Placed first, or made bigger, it backfired.
Order is half the trick.
Rule 4. Say it before they do.
Domino's, 2009. Customers said the crust tasted like cardboard.
Domino's put the complaints in its own ads. Rebuilt the recipe. Showed the process.
Next quarter, same-store sales jumped over 14%.
The flaw was already public. Domino's just took ownership.
Rule 5. Never insult the buyer.
Ratner's real mistake wasn't the product. It was the customer.
Calling it crap meant everyone wearing it had bought crap.
A good flaw makes the buyer feel smart. A bad flaw makes them feel stupid.
Rule 6. A flaw can pick your audience.
Marmite, 1996. "Love it or hate it".
Half the country hates the taste. Marmite said so.
Haters stayed away. Lovers became loyal.
The flaw worked as a filter.
The checklist.
Proves a strength.
Outside the core.
Comes after the good news.
Said first.
Buyer stays smart.
Miss one, and it's a Ratner.
Next post: the flaw you didn't choose.
When customers find it first.
Harder to survive than it looks.