Unsurprisingly, the hashtags #neverforget and #september11 are trending on Twitter today as people all over the country and all over the world express their feelings on the the 12-year anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Perhaps just as unsurprisingly, brands are getting in on the online outpouring of 9/11 sentiment.
One would think that the most respectful thing a brand could do would be to not say anything at all, unless the brand’s employees or customers were in some way directly effected by 9/11. For example the Red Cross’s commemorative tweet feels appropriate given that the organization was involved in relief and aid efforts after the attacks. But for so many other brands that are tweeting about 9/11, the motivation, or even need, for those tweets seems questionable at best.
See below for some examples of brands tweeting about 9/11 today. What do you think: Is it insensitive of brands to even mention 9/11, or is it OK for companies to chime in on a national tragedy that touched everyone?
AT&T
Update: AT&T removed a previous 9/11 tweet featuring product placement image, and replaced it with this apology:
Here is the photo in question:
Image via Shutterstock/Songquan Deng
-
Member Exclusive‘You can’t just cut a little bit’: Why this moment could force agencies to accelerate necessary changes to their business models
To survive, agencies have to change how they do business instead of making cuts here or there to manage for the next quarter.
-
‘We knew it would impact our business negatively’: How joining the Facebook boycott affected one small advertiser
For small boycotting advertisers like JibJab, staying off the Facebook advertising ecosystem permanently is untenable.
-
‘Exceeded our marketers readiness’: As e-commerce growth accelerates, Dentsu is adding a new practice to meet the demand
The commerce practice was already in the works but the pandemic and changing consumer behavior due to the pandemic accelerated it.
-
SponsoredPublishers: Assessing risk and ensuring payments in times of crisis
As the industry navigates the continued impacts of COVID-19, here’s the questions publishers should ask their programmatic partners or ad management providers to protect themselves from clawbacks and lost revenue.
-
‘Hooked on the Facebook drug’: Media buyers say smaller brands will return to the platform, but bigger brands will continue to boycott
Large consumer brands aren’t happy with Facebook’s response to the boycott so far and will likely wait until fall to reconsider the boycott.
-
Nobody in elevators, fewer gag lines: How an agency is remaking its ads to fit the coronavirus era
The process has allowed the full-service agency to enlist its post-production arm to help its clients adjust ads rather than press pause on advertising due to the ad content.
