Two-sided advertising: make better ads by admitting your flaws

Two-sided advertising is a messaging approach where brands acknowledge a flaw or limitation upfront, disarming with honesty. Research suggests that ads featuring honest admissions of imperfection can boost consumer trust, brand recall, and purchase intent — especially among skeptical buyers.

With 71% of consumers trusting companies less than they did a year ago, traditional "we're perfect" messaging is losing effectiveness. Skeptical buyers interrogate your claims and search Reddit for the catch. Two-sided advertising resolves this tension by presenting the catch yourself, on your terms.

This creative strategy works by:

• Resolving tension before buyers go looking for problems
• Allowing you to own the narrative about your product's trade-offs
• Disarming resistance from skeptical consumers who distrust marketing claims

In this guide, we'll analyze real examples of two-sided advertising, break down what makes it work, and show you how to test this strategy in your own campaigns.

Have you ever heard that perfection is the enemy of good?

For advertisers, it may be the enemy of conversions.

Consumer skepticism is growing – 71% of consumers trust companies less than they did a year ago. At the same time, economic uncertainty means potential buyers are interrogating your claims more thoroughly than the last few years.

Skeptical buyers are hard to convert. They don’t trust your brand, and they certainly don’t trust the claims you make in your ads. But, what if there was a way to make ads that are more effective on the growing number of skeptical buyers?

You just need to admit you’re not perfect. It’s called two-sided advertising, and it’s incredibly effective.

Studies suggest admitting flaws in your ads can boost consumer trust, brand recall, and even purchase intent. What’s more, these effects seem strongest among skeptical consumers – the ones who trust your brand the least.

By presenting a flaw upfront, you do three things:

• Resolve tension
• Own the narrative
• Disarm resistance

Let's take a look at some examples ⬇️

The importance of being earnest

Skeptical buyers are resistant to the claims you make in your ads. Even if they believe the selling points you present, they wonder “what’s the catch?”

If your ads and LPs only show positives, the skeptical buyer will search elsewhere for answers. Often, they’ll end up on a Reddit thread started by a disgruntled customer, telling people to NEVER buy from you.

When you willingly admit a flaw, buyers don’t have to search for the catch because you’ve just presented it. Now they can just weigh the pros against the con you showed.

Now they're not questioning whether your claims are true, they're just deciding whether the upside is larger than the downside.

This leads us to the most important element of the equation: owning the narrative. Choosing to acknowledge a flaw means you get to choose the flaw. From there, you can either flip a negative into a positive, or show that the good outweighs the bad.

Harry's

The hook of this ad is disarming. It opens with a comment reply: "8/10 guys love Harry's, what about the other 2/10?"

Instead of ignoring the fact that some customers don't love their razors, Harry’s addresses their skeptics head on.

It's brilliant for two reasons:

First, it gives them a natural setup to address objections and show all the effort they've put into improving their product.

Second, it makes their "8/10" statistic feel more real. By acknowledging the outliers, the positive rating becomes more credible than a generic "everyone loves us" claim.

This is a 10/10 spin, great example of a brand addressing skepticism directly in order to own the narrative.

Buoy

Buoy breaks one of the cardinal rules of testimonial ads here: they feature a 4-star review instead of a 5-star one.

The headline is positive, "finally drinking more water." The body of the review isn’t though, it’s a small complaint about the taste.

Two things stand out about this review for me; it explicitly says this is the only con, and it’s a very small downside. I suspect Buoy knows their customers don’t care about the taste, otherwise they’d offer a ton of flavor options like all their competitors.

So not only is this ad building trust, they’re also positioning themselves against the competition. Chef’s kiss.

HexClad

You've probably seen ads that hook with something like “here’s why you shouldn’t buy X product.” These leverage two-sided advertising by leading with a negative, then flipping to positives.

The problem is, these ads often struggle to actually flip the negative. The reasons typically sound like, “oh it’s just too good and you’ll love it too much.” That may convert some people, but it's not going to work on skeptics.

That's why I liked this ad from HexClad, the hook leads naturally into a selling point.

Why will she never buy a HexClad pan again? Ah, because there’s a lifetime warranty so she won’t need to.

It's a simple product feature turned into a compelling hook by flipping the framing. Instead of saying "we have a great warranty," they said "you'll never need to buy again."

Same information, but the two-sided framing makes it stick. It also demonstrates a benefit rather than just a feature. Great hook.

Huel

This ad from Huel takes a subtle approach to honesty by acknowledging what their product isn't.

Selling a customer the idea of their best self is effective, but some brands go too far. Maybe your product really is life-changing for some people, but trying to convince skeptical buyers it’ll change their lives is going to be cause resistance.

The message is simple: drinking Huel isn't going to be a magical experience. It's just a straightforward way to change your eating habits. No overnight transformation, just a small, achievable change.

By admitting their product is simple but effective rather than revolutionary, Huel makes their product more trustworthy.

Want more ad inspo? Here’s a collection of ~25 ads that caught my eye while browsing DTC ad libraries the week this was written.

Analyzing creative elements that make two-sided ads work

Breaking down effective two-sided advertising reveals specific creative elements that drive performance. Here's what to look for when analyzing these ads:

The hook structure: Two-sided ads typically open with tension or a question that acknowledges skepticism. Harry's "what about the other 2/10?" and HexClad's "why I'll never buy again" both create curiosity by leading with a negative frame.

The reframe mechanism: The middle section must flip the stated negative into a positive or acceptable trade-off. HexClad's lifetime warranty turns "never buying again" into a warranty. Huel positions their product as "just breakfast" rather than promising life transformation.

Social proof selection: Notice how Buoy features a 4-star review instead of 5-star. The testimonial explicitly states the flaw is minor ("only con") while emphasizing the main benefit. This makes the positive claims more credible by showing the brand isn't cherry-picking a perfect review.

Specificity of the admission: Generic flaws ("we're not perfect") don't work. Effective two-sided ads admit specific, minor limitations that prospects were already concerned about. This specificity signals honesty rather than vague hedging.

Visual reinforcement: The creative itself often emphasizes the honest element. Harry's shows the actual comment. Buoy displays the 4-star rating prominently.

When analyzing your own creative performance, look for these patterns:

• Do control ads that only show positives see higher skepticism in comments?
• Do variants acknowledging trade-offs generate more thoughtful engagement?
• Which specific flaws, when acknowledged, correlate with higher conversion rates?

The best practices emerge from testing different flaw presentations and measuring which honest admissions actually improve performance rather than hurt it.

Key takeaways

In a world where consumers are losing trust in brands, trying to maintain a perfect image can backfire.

Admitting a flaw shows vulnerability, a deeply human trait that gives your customers a reason to connect, to trust, and even to buy. Remember, two-sided advertising lets you:

• Build trust
• Disarm skepticism
• Spin negatives into positives

So there’s only one question that remains.

What "flaw" could your brand own?

FAQs about two-sided advertising and creative testing

What is two-sided advertising? Two-sided advertising is a messaging strategy where brands acknowledge a product flaw or limitation before presenting benefits. This approach builds trust by showing honesty rather than perfect positioning, and research shows it's particularly effective with skeptical consumers.

When should you test two-sided messaging in ad campaigns? Test two-sided messaging when consumer skepticism is high, when your product has obvious trade-offs that customers are already discussing, or when targeting sophisticated buyers who appreciate honest positioning. Bonus points if you can reframe the acknowledged flaw as proof of a larger benefit.

What types of flaws work best in two-sided advertising? The most effective flaws are specific, relatively minor, and can be reframed positively. Examples include: price ("expensive because of quality materials"), complexity ("takes time to learn because it's powerful"), or limitations ("only does one thing, but does it exceptionally well"). If you have a major flaw that's really keeping people from buying, fix it in the product before you mention it in advertising.

How do you analyze creative elements in two-sided ads? Focus on the hook structure (how the flaw is introduced), the reframe mechanism (how the negative becomes a positive), social proof selection (using imperfect testimonials), specificity of the admission, and visual reinforcement of the honest claim. Test different presentations and measure which generate better engagement and conversion.

Does two-sided advertising work for scaling campaigns? Yes, two-sided advertising scales effectively because it builds genuine trust rather than just capturing attention. Scale by segmenting audiences by skepticism level, creating flaw-specific variants for different concerns, testing across funnel stages, and expanding to additional channels once you validate the approach.

What metrics indicate two-sided advertising is working? Beyond standard metrics (CTR, CPA, ROAS), look for trust indicators: improved comment sentiment, fewer objection-based questions, higher time spent with creative, increased return visitor rates, and better customer lifetime value.