Day after our column we now know first company getting slammed for wrapping itself in 9/11
Check out Texas mattress companies 9/11 Twin Towers Sale of twin mattresses
UPDATE (Thursday)
We have our first winner. It’s a Walmart store in Panama Beach, Florida.
In the Walmart, a Coke distributor created a display of the World Trade Center towers and a US Flag using Coke product packages with a “We Will Never Forget Banner.”
It didn’t play well on social media and has since been removed with an apology from Walmart. Details here.
EARLIER (Wednesday)
As we approach the 15th anniversary of 9/11/2001 do you think it’s possible corporate America and others have finally learned it’s not such a great idea to mark the occasion with a self-serving tweet or post?
Or do you expect, as in just about every other year, self-promotion will bring scorn to some businesses or people?
In 2013 @bryanjoiner on Twitter shared the free “Should I make a 9/11 ad?” flowchart. It’s a good image to remember because it can get pretty ugly on Twitter and elsewhere for those who cross the line.
2013 was the same year AT&T had to apologize for its 9/11 “Never Forget” tweet that showed off one of its phones. Yes AT&T, some of us haven’t forgotten.
Julianne Pepitone, CNN MoneyYet another corporate social media #fail. AT&T quickly deleted a tweet on Sept. 11 after drawing ire from Twitter users who accused the company of exploiting a national tragedy.
AT&T’s (T) original tweet included a hand holding up a smartphone, with the Tribute in Light memorial captured on the device’s screen. The memorial features two columns of light representing the fallen Twin Towers. “Never Forget,” the post said.The tweet was up for only an hour before AT&T deleted it and posted an apology.
“We apologize to anyone who felt our post was in poor taste,” AT&T said in the second tweet. “The image was solely meant to pay respect to those affected by the 9/11 tragedy.”
And then there was the yoga business in Arlington, Virginia, about four miles from the Pentagon, that tweeted in 2014, “9+11=20% OFF! PATRIOT DAY SALE.”
We all remember and grieve in different ways. For some it’s quiet reflection. Others want to share their thoughts. Few, except the certified trolls among us, would say either is wrong. But when emotions are high, as they will be in the coming days, it’s good to use caution as you share your messages on social media. This is isn’t just a lesson for corporate America. Celebrities, politicians and some people you’ve never heard of have also found plenty of incoming hate for poorly thought out 9/11 anniversary tweets.
A few years ago Holly Brockwell, writing in The Huffington Post, shared this important reminder:
Just in case anyone is unclear on this, retweeting does not in any way show respect to the dead, or ease the grief of their families. Asking for retweets is a shameless, selfish way to promote your own account and nothing more. If you want to pay your respects, pay them. Send up a prayer, visit the memorial, or by all means tweet your sentiments. But adding “Retweet to show respect” strips your message of any humanity, and turns it from a genuine statement of grief to a shameless plug for you.
