With every new anniversary of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, more and more corporate brands come up with awkward, tasteless, or just plain bizarre tribute ads and tweets.
No company wants to seem insensitive, of course, but these ads often end up seeming much worse than saying nothing at all. Writer Bryan Joiner had perhaps the best advice for social media experts considering making a tribute tweet with a corporate tie-in.
For AT&T, that golf course, and others, here is my FREE 'Should I make a 9/11 ad?' flowchart: pic.twitter.com/8zt6AvzCrw
— Bryan Joiner (@bryanjoiner) September 11, 2013
But you know what? The tweets of pretty much all of these brands just aren't as plain weird as this tweet from Fleshlight. In and of itself, the tweet is fine. But the fact that it's being provided to you by a male sex toy designed to better replicate certain parts of the anatomy makes the juxtaposition deeply odd. Of course, there's a marketing angle here. Were we talking about Fleshlight yesterday? No. But we are now.
Today is 13th anniversary of 9/11. We remember those lost, & honor those still fighting for freedom. #911NeverForget pic.twitter.com/W0yFU73L7V
— Official Fleshlight (@Fleshlight) September 11, 2014
Please, corporate America. No more.
