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AT&T has apologised for a branded tweet it posted to mark the anniversary of 9/11
The US phone company deleted the offending tweet (pictured top right) from its Twitter timeline and Facebook page.
"We apologize to anyone who felt our post was in poor taste. The image was solely meant to pay respect to those affected by the 9/11 tragedy," the company wrote in a follow up tweet.
Ad Week says, "The episode highlights yet again the difficult task of doing any corporate messaging around 9/11."
9/11 isn't off-limits to brands, Ad Week says, noting that this American Express tweet got good feedback.
9/11/2001 #neverforget pic.twitter.com/6do4W6A3V1
— American Express (@AmericanExpress) September 11, 2013
The difference? American Experess didn't try to directly push a product (as AT&T did by including an image of one of its phones).
But elsewhere, tasteless attempts to cash-in on the anniversary abounded. A Wisconsin golf course advertised the chance to play 9 holes for $9.11, while a hotel in the Marriott chain offered free mini muffins between 8.45am and 9.15am (the time time between the first plane and second plane crashes into the Twin Towers).
Satirical site The Onion skewered the trend with this timeless image:
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US telco apologises for 9/11 social media blunder
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