We’ve all told jokes that have fallen flat. It happens. We’ve all told jokes that are maybe a little inappropriate (okay, maybe not everyone, but I’m guilty as charged.) Those moments have their time and place, but for tasteless humor, your business’ social media pages are never the right place, and there is never a right time for it.
Just ask the folks over at Urban Outfitters.
When Hurricane Sandy ripped up the east coast in October of 2012, UO decided to offer free shipping to help out.
Very nice.
But, rather than just tweet about free shipping, someone with a dark sense of humor decided to add their own spin.
And tweeted this:
Yes, complete with #ALLSOGGY and #frankenstorm.
Oh, yes…they went there.
Urban Outfitters tried to apologize, but the damage was done.
Not a lot of grey area there about how people felt. (And that’s just a tiny sampling of the outraged repsonses.)
So today’s thought: reaching out to your crowd to offer help when needed is obviously a good idea. It even humanizes your brand more.
Attaching a tasteless joke, well….
Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?
Scott
