#MLK: Today’s Tackiest Social Media Brand Fails
Not why social media was invented. (pulse2.com)
We all know it's incredibly crass to use a national day of mourning to promote your brand. But still, every year on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Pearl Harbor Day and Sept. 11, companies do it anyway.
We understand the temptation. If your tweet includes the #MLK hashtag, chances are it's going to be seen and even retweeted many more times than a regular missive promoting toilet paper or Oreos.
To be fair, some brands may feel a social responsibility to honor and recognize the day. This, for example, is a great way to do it:
https://twitter.com/AARP/status/425252639417569280
Moving, respectful, even educational.
But not everyone can be as classy as the AARP. There are tons of social media editors out there who still don't understand that directly comparing the legacy of Martin Luther King to their product is tacky beyond belief. So now, for your MLK Day entertainment, here are the most egregious offenders.
We'll be updating this list all day, so send the best/worst tweets and Facebook posts you find to mmulshine@observer.com.
UPDATE: We have a winner for crappiest Martin Luther King Day social media promo of 2014:
https://twitter.com/Pornhub/status/425363419147927552
Actually painful.
Here's our extensive list of runners up:
https://twitter.com/7Hens/status/425389817112068098
Be happy MLK fought so hard for equality because otherwise you'd have to pay for your fries.
https://twitter.com/QuadChat/status/425382206278615040
OMG like MLK totally would have loved texting! Also, isn't "can't" a typo? Good work, everyone.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=596581133758160&set=a.120712548011690.29314.119802788102666&type=1&stream_ref=10
Certainly the most WTF of all.
https://twitter.com/MaltOMealCereal/statuses/425275501905596416
For the three people alive who have Twitter accounts and eat Malt-O-Meal.
https://twitter.com/Forever21/status/425342721553731584
Even your dream to own a crappy phone case made by underpaid factory workers #dreambig
https://twitter.com/PartyBusBooking/status/425339957184454656
DntDrnkNDrive on MLK Day. Srsly,JstDnt.
https://twitter.com/ULTA_Beauty/status/425301713504186368
Be nice and not racist, but also remember to look hot.
https://twitter.com/peta/status/425303708776140800
PETA is trolling even harder than usual today. A tweet they've since deleted read, "#MartinLutherKing & #AnimalRights: peta.vg/mlk RT if you're PROUD to be a voice for animals!"
https://twitter.com/geteyesmart/status/425338360404934656
Wish we could protect our eyes from this egregious tweet.
https://twitter.com/Interplas/status/425335482932027392
We're sure he would have loved that.
https://twitter.com/PoachedNYC/status/425334799654342656
Celebrate Martin Luther King's legacy through gluttonous consumption.
https://twitter.com/theknot/status/425334421676654592
Celebrate Martin Luther King's legacy by feeling anxious about your own wedding.
https://twitter.com/2Girls1Outfit/status/425333290870898688
#polkadots, you guys.
https://twitter.com/Conserve_WA/status/425330630587453441
Pssst, that apple tree quote? That's called a metaphor.
https://twitter.com/RideSchwinn/status/425333236680892416
Apple trees, bikes. Who knew he was so interested in sellable goods?
https://twitter.com/AshHess/status/425321242795597825
Did Martin Luther King also love doughnuts? Did he love drooling on himself? Did we miss something?
https://twitter.com/NYCMayorsOffice/status/425329529175810048
If a politician is surrounded by girl scouts without tweeting it, was he ever truly surrounded by girl scouts?
https://twitter.com/PorgyBessTour/status/425328990136856577
Martin Luther King's life and legacy have influenced people to do many things, but none of them involved @BroadwayDetroit.
https://twitter.com/OreIdaPotatoes/status/425326853227032577
Happy MLK Day, now BUY OUR POTATOES. Though potato stamp art does sound pretty good tbh.
https://twitter.com/zzzquil/status/425273661260849153
Like that crazy Zzzquil–induced dream I had last night about playing croquet with Perez Hilton and The Simple Life–era Nicole Richie using baby penguins as balls? That's just like MLK's dream, right?
https://twitter.com/salontwelve26/status/425313577340133376
Because your current lame-o hairstyle is what you should be concerned about today.
https://twitter.com/CJShoppingTours/status/425325701844045824
And don't forget your nails! [UPDATE: The above tweet has been deleted. From @CJShoppingTours, it read, "Do you have #MLKDay off? Relax. It's #ManiMonday, start your week off right. goo.gl/MV1rIY http://t.co/mN1ACJi1He".]
https://twitter.com/PCC_Chicago/status/425318211073363968
Don't forget to register for some random luncheon in honor of the man who nobly fought for equality.
https://twitter.com/CanoeKayakMag/status/425278906153709568
OMG what a coincidence, so did we!
https://twitter.com/NBAcom/status/425096743890345984
Hint: try not to use the #hangtime hashtag when referring to the battle for civil rights in the U.S.
https://twitter.com/HatsdotCom/status/425278070770003968
A great approach if you want all of your potential customers to immediately associate your product with funerals :(
https://twitter.com/POPSUGARMoms/status/425277432975740928
Slightly inappropriate, still kinda gross.
https://twitter.com/DuPont_News/status/425285839460237312
Yes, today is a great day to pat YOURSELVES, DuPont, on the back.
https://twitter.com/lifehaspurpose/status/425285672442683392
Also a great idea to highjack Dr. King's name to promote your own highly divisive political beliefs on a day when we're supposed to be thinking about tolerance and friendship.
https://twitter.com/TheWomenNetwork/status/425277842050383873
Inoffensive, yet puzzling. Why Gandhi?
https://twitter.com/Inc/status/425249084208078848
Entrepreneurs. That's who we should be thinking about today.
https://twitter.com/americanair/status/425266515705745408
Not the same thing.
"Honor his dream [of civil rights and equality]. Move yours [of slimming your cankles] forward."
And finally, the Chive, which almost doesn't count because they're so clearly trolling:
https://twitter.com/theCHIVE/status/424302157987209216
