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Published about 7 hours ago • 1 min read

Pratfall Effect

​Read online​

A few years back I received this review.

It hurt me a bit and knocked my confidence. I was desperate for listeners to leave some positive reviews so others wouldn't see it.

I tried to cover it up, but other brands do the opposite.

Spa Diner promotes "the worst breakfast one man on Yelp ever had".

Snowbird put their 1-star review in a double-page magazine ad.

The Antelope pub share their negative reviews on Facebook.

This sandwich shop printed out their 1-star reviews.

So, was I wrong for hiding my negative review? Perhaps I should have shared it widely?

Should you hide bad reviews?

In 2025, researchers showed negative ads to 27,830 people on Facebook¹.

Half saw an ad for an electronics store where the owners admitted they were "out of date bird brains".

Half saw the same ad, but with copy reading "Not an out-of-date bird brain store".

The ad that mentioned how some of the kit was out of date received a 26.7% higher CTR.

These researchers proved that insults don't always harm your brand.

If used in the right way, they can draw customers in.

Hope you liked this newsletter, folks.

​Phill​

P.S. I share insights like this daily on my LinkedIn account. Connect with me →​

¹Du, K. M., Zhou, L., & Cutright, K. M. (2025). Bunch of jerks: How brands can benefit by reappropriating insults. Journal of Consumer Psychology.

As a behavioural science practitioner, I believe in the peak-end rule.

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Nudge Newsletter

Phill Agnew

I spend 18 hours each week turning marketing psychology into readable newsletters.

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