Pricing for Growth in the Age of Accountability
One pricing misstep can go viral and damage your brand overnight. In today's hyper-connected marketplace, every pricing decision is scrutinised, shared, and debated publicly. Learn how to make pricing choices that build trust, drive growth, and protect your reputation through this interactive course from Cookson Partners.
The Problem: Pricing Mis-steps Are Costing Companies Real Money
Time and again, we're witnessing companies stumble over pricing decisions that spark immediate consumer backlash. When pricing is perceived as unfair, discriminatory, exploitative, inconsistent, or opaque, the consequences are swift and costly. In today's digital age, a single misstep can cascade into a full-blown crisis within hours.
Pop Mart
One employee questioning the value of LaBubu toys in a viral video triggered a 5.5% share price drop, demonstrating how quickly market confidence can evaporate.
EA Games
Walked back in-game pricing after players revolted against pay-to-win mechanics that felt exploitative. The backlash threatened customer loyalty and brand reputation.
Delta Airlines
Announced AI-driven personalised pricing, only to backtrack immediately after sparking public uproar. The promise of "smart pricing" became a PR nightmare within 24 hours.
Airbnb
Changed price display methods after customers complained that surprise cleaning fees at checkout felt like a bait-and-switch, eroding trust in the platform.
Ticketmaster
The Oasis ticket debacle forced a complete overhaul of pricing practices. Dynamic pricing saw fans paying hundreds more than advertised, triggering instant public fury and regulatory intervention.
CMA crackdown
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has launched investigations into eight companies over potentially misleading online pricing practices such as “drip-pricing”, pressure selling and unclear checkout costs.
These examples demonstrate how rapidly pricing decisions can erode years of carefully built customer trust. The pattern is clear: what companies intend as commercial optimisation, customers often experience as manipulation.
The Solution: Companies Getting It Right
For every company making headlines for pricing mistakes, there are many quietly getting it right. These organisations take time to think through their pricing decisions strategically, ensuring they won't stumble into PR disasters. They understand that pricing isn't just a commercial lever—it's a trust signal.
That's what Pricing for Growth in the Age of Accountability is for – to help companies make better pricing decisions. Decisions that don't make the headlines, but that grow profit, trust, and loyalty steadily.
What You’ll Learn
In this comprehensive 30-minute training module, you'll equip your team with frameworks and tools to make confident pricing decisions that protect your reputation whilst driving commercial success.
Spot Pricing Risks Before Launch
Learn to identify pricing decisions that could trigger consumer backlash before they go live, using proven assessment frameworks.
01
Apply the Pricing for Trust Framework
Evaluate every decision across four critical dimensions: commercially sound, clear to customers, brand consistent, and reputationally safe.
02
Use Practical Decision Tools
Deploy the Pricing Risk Assessment Tool and ESG + Pricing Alignment Matrix in real-world scenarios to guide your choices.
03
Learn from Real-World Examples
Study both failures and successes from brands like Ticketmaster, Delta, Tony's Chocolonely, and Apple to understand what works and what doesn't.
04
Build Internal Consensus
Create stakeholder alignment around pricing changes using clear frameworks and strategic mapping techniques.
05
Create Your Action Plan
Develop a customised roadmap to embed trust-led pricing principles throughout your organisation for lasting impact.
06
Who This is For
This training programme is specifically designed for decision-makers and influencers who impact pricing decisions and must balance commercial objectives with reputational considerations.
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Professionals making day-to-day pricing decisions who need frameworks to evaluate risk and opportunity in real-time situations.
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Executives who must communicate pricing changes effectively whilst maintaining customer trust and brand integrity.
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Specialists ensuring pricing decisions align with company values, sustainability commitments, and ethical standards.
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Leaders balancing profit objectives with reputational risk, requiring tools to quantify both commercial and trust impacts.
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Executives who need confidence that pricing decisions won't create backlash or damage the organisation's hard-earned reputation.
The Risk of Getting it Wrong
In today's hyper-connected environment, one viral pricing mistake can trigger cascading consequences that take months or years to repair. The costs extend far beyond immediate revenue impact.
5.5%
Share Price Drop
Pop Mart's experience shows how quickly market confidence evaporates when pricing controversies emerge.
100%
Practice Overhaul
Ticketmaster faced regulatory scrutiny and mandatory changes to their entire pricing system following public outcry.
660,000+
Public Complaints
EA’s Battlefront II loot-box pricing became the most downvoted Reddit post ever and forced a full monetisation rethink.
Negative Press Coverage
Pricing controversies dominate headlines, overshadowing positive brand messages and marketing campaigns you've invested in.
Regulatory Intervention
Government scrutiny and potential legislative changes can fundamentally alter your business model and operating freedom.
Customer Churn
Trust erosion leads to customer defection, with vocal critics amplifying negative sentiment across social media platforms.
Internal Disruption
Crisis management consumes leadership attention and resources that should be focused on growth and innovation.
The true cost of a pricing misstep extends beyond the immediate financial impact. It includes damaged brand equity, lost customer lifetime value, diverted leadership attention, and the opportunity cost of defensive rather than offensive strategy.
What You'll Take Away
Every participant receives a comprehensive toolkit of frameworks, templates, and real-world case studies to apply immediately in their organisation.
Downloadable Tools & Resources
Pricing for Trust Framework
Complete methodology for evaluating pricing decisions across four critical dimensions before implementation.
Pricing Risk Assessment Tool
Structured questionnaire to identify potential backlash triggers and quantify reputational risk exposure.
ESG + Pricing Alignment Matrix
Strategic tool connecting pricing decisions to sustainability commitments and stakeholder expectations.
Stakeholder Advocacy Tool
Mapping framework to understand and address concerns from customers, regulators, employees, and investors.
30-60-90 Day Action Plan
Customisable template to implement trust-led pricing principles systematically across your organisation.
Ready to Transform Your Pricing Approach?
In just 30 minutes, you can equip your team with the frameworks and confidence to make pricing decisions that build profit, trust, and loyalty—without making headlines for the wrong reasons. Transform pricing from a source of risk into a strategic advantage.
Immediate Impact
Start applying trust-led pricing principles to your current decisions within hours of completing the training.
Risk Mitigation
Identify and neutralise potential pricing controversies before they reach customers and damage your brand.
Cross-Functional Alignment
Create shared language and frameworks that unite commercial, marketing, finance, and ESG teams around pricing.