The power of saying the awkward bit out loud
A known weakness, said out loud with self-irony and transparency, can become the distinctive voice: Ryanair shows that owned imperfection builds closeness faster than performed perfection.
October 22, 2024 · Lilla Catalano
We’ve written before about how competitive the landscape is, and how branding — the work of building and holding an identity — is one of the few durable advantages. The quiet assumption underneath a lot of that work is that you only ever show the flattering side. In a culture obsessed with polish, organisations hide the cracks. The evidence says otherwise: naming a vulnerability, and using it, can become a communications asset. Think of Ryanair and the first words that arrive are cheap flights, Europe — and also delays, discomfort, cancellations. That less-than-glowing picture is already in the public imagination. Ryanair knows it. They made it part of the voice.
A communications strategy built on self-irony
Ryanair’s public voice is unusually honest, and often funny at its own expense. Instead of burying complaints, it answers them with humour. People recognise the move. Sincerity, plus the nerve to laugh at yourself, builds a different kind of closeness than a perfect brand film.
Ryanair on social
Look at TikTok or X and the tell is immediate: the brand never takes itself too seriously. It rides platform trends, talks back to the community, and stays light. That is not an accident. It is the strategy, visible.
Provocative campaigns
The ads often lean into the clichés — baggage rules, delays — rather than arguing with them. It gets attention, and it frames Ryanair as a brand willing to be in on the joke.
Community management
When service quality gets piled on, the replies tend to be dry: yes, and also look at the fare. Over time that hasn’t just defused criticism. It has made the company feel more reachable than a polished corporate account ever would.
Transparency in the boring moments
Beyond the jokes, Ryanair is blunt about operations: delays, cancellations, changes. Risky on paper. In practice it has fed a reputation for saying the thing plainly.
Customer feedback
They ask for it, and they often put it in public — good and bad — then use it. The loop is visible. Loyalty follows that kind of conversation more reliably than a tagline about putting customers first.
Why this actually changes the communications game
Ryanair is a case study in turning a known weakness into a voice. Self-irony doesn’t erase the problem. It metabolises the criticism and makes the relationship feel adult. In a moment when people can smell spin, that is not a small advantage.
Doing this well takes nerve and craft. Get it right and the relationship with customers gets sturdier, not cheaper. The brand becomes harder to knock over.
A short guide if you want to try it
1. Name the weak spots. You can’t weaponise what you refuse to see.
2. Be transparent. Trust is the byproduct, not the slogan.
3. Use humour with manners. Funny, not cruel. Self-irony still has to sound like a professional organisation.
4. Bring the audience in. Answer criticism in public when you can. A storm can become a conversation.
5. Make it memorable. Ads, posts, even a reply in the comments can show a human register without collapsing into chaos.
6. Watch the numbers. Engagement, sentiment, community growth — self-irony has to earn its keep.
People attach to true stories, and to companies that can stand next to their imperfections. The aim is a brand that feels human enough to stand close to. Used well, self-irony turns a liability into the reason someone likes you.
