Top 10 Social Media Disasters of Well Known Companies — TopTenzNet

Summary

In this video, Simon Whistler explores the top 10 social media disasters by well-known companies. From Chick-fil-A's CEO's controversial stance on marriage to Home Depot's racially insensitive tweet, each incident illustrates how even big brands can make costly mistakes on social platforms. The video serves as a cautionary tale, highlighting the importance of social media literacy and crisis management in the digital age.

Takeaways

• 🐔 **Chick-fil-A's CEO Dan Cathy's anti-gay marriage comments in 2012 led to a social media backlash and loss of a contract with the Jim Henson Company.**
• 🌪️ **American Apparel and Gap faced criticism for promoting sales during Hurricane Sandy, showing a lack of sensitivity to the disaster.**
• 👗 **Kenneth Cole Productions inappropriately tweeted about the Egyptian protests, linking them to their new spring collection, causing public outrage.**
• 🍳 **KitchenAid's tweet about President Obama's grandmother was offensive and led to an immediate apology and internal review of social media access.**
• 🍞 **Epicurious's ill-timed tweets promoting breakfast recipes after the Boston Marathon bombing were quickly deleted and apologized for.**
• 🔫 **Kmart's tweet with a promotional hashtag during the Sandy Hook shooting condolences was seen as extremely insensitive and led to public outrage.**
• 🍕 **The Onion's tweet about Quvenzhané Wallis at the Oscars was derogatory and led to an apology from the CEO for the inconsistency with their parody and satire commitment.**
• 🦍 **Home Depot's tweet with a racially insensitive image and text led to an immediate apology and the firing of the media agency managing their social media.**
• 🍕 **DiGiorno's attempt to join a trending hashtag about domestic violence with a pizza promotion backfired, leading to a quick deletion and apology.**
• 🚗 **Progressive Insurance's handling of a claim and subsequent social media response led to a public relations disaster, requiring a significant settlement with the affected family.**

Q & A

What is the main focus of this video?

The video focuses on the top 10 social media disasters by well-known companies, highlighting instances where companies made major blunders on social media platforms.

Why did Chick-fil-A face backlash in 2012?

Chick-fil-A faced backlash in 2012 after its CEO, Dan Cathy, made public statements opposing same-sex marriage. This caused controversy, leading to social media criticism and the loss of partnerships, such as the one with the Jim Henson Company.

How did American Apparel and The Gap mishandle social media during Hurricane Sandy?

American Apparel and The Gap both faced criticism for using Hurricane Sandy as an opportunity to promote sales. American Apparel offered a sale to those 'bored during the storm,' while The Gap encouraged people to shop online during the hurricane, which was seen as insensitive.

What was Kenneth Cole's social media mistake during the Egyptian protests in 2011?

Kenneth Cole's mistake was tweeting a message that trivialized the violent protests in Egypt by implying that people were protesting because of the brand’s new spring collection, leading to public outrage.

How did KitchenAid offend people during a 2012 Presidential debate?

KitchenAid posted an offensive tweet during a 2012 Presidential debate, mocking President Obama’s grandmother's death. It was intended for a personal account but was accidentally posted from the company’s official Twitter account.

What mistake did Epicurious make following the Boston Marathon bombing?

Epicurious posted insensitive tweets the morning after the Boston Marathon bombing, suggesting breakfast recipes in honor of Boston, which led to public outrage due to the tone-deaf nature of the posts.

What was Kmart's social media blunder during the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting?

Kmart posted a tweet offering condolences for the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting but included a promotional hashtag for toys, which was seen as an inappropriate and insensitive marketing attempt during a tragedy.

How did The Onion make a major social media error during the 2013 Oscars?

The Onion posted a highly offensive tweet about nine-year-old actress Quvenzhané Wallis during the 2013 Oscars, using a derogatory term. Despite deleting the tweet, it caused widespread outrage.

What led to Home Depot being criticized for a racist social media post in 2013?

Home Depot posted a photo of two Black men and a person in a gorilla suit with a caption asking which drummer was 'not like the rest.' The post was criticized for being racist, leading to public backlash.

Why did DiGiorno Pizza face criticism for their use of the hashtag #WhyIStayed?

DiGiorno Pizza used the hashtag #WhyIStayed, which was part of a conversation about domestic violence, to promote their pizza. The company quickly apologized, admitting they didn't understand the context of the hashtag.

Outlines

00:00

📰 Top 10 Social Media Disasters by Companies

Simon Whistler introduces a video discussing the top 10 social media blunders by well-known companies. He emphasizes that social media, while powerful, can backfire spectacularly if mishandled. The video promises to explore instances where companies faced public backlash due to inappropriate or ill-timed social media posts, leading to embarrassment and potential damage to their brand image.

05:00

🐔 Chick-fil-A's Controversial Stance on Marriage

In 2012, Chick-fil-A's CEO, Dan Cathy, publicly opposed gay marriage, sparking controversy and social media backlash. His comments led to a loss of contract with the Jim Henson Company, which removed its toys from Chick-fil-A's children's meals. A suspiciously new Facebook account defending Chick-fil-A was suspected to be a PR stunt but was denied by the company. This incident highlights the risk of CEOs engaging in polarizing social issues on behalf of their companies.

10:02

🌪️ Exploiting Natural Disasters: American Apparel and Gap

As Hurricane Sandy approached the east coast of the United States in 2012, two clothing companies, American Apparel and Gap, attempted to capitalize on the impending disaster for promotional purposes. American Apparel sent an email suggesting a sale during the storm, while Gap tweeted about shopping during the hurricane, both of which were met with public outrage. The companies later removed the tweets and apologized, illustrating the insensitivity of using a natural disaster for marketing.

🎨 Kenneth Cole's Misguided Tweet on Egyptian Protests

In 2011, during the Egyptian protests, clothing designer Kenneth Cole tweeted a promotional message about his new spring collection, linking it to the ongoing turmoil in Cairo. The tweet was seen as highly inappropriate and was removed later that day. Despite an apology from Cole, the company repeated a similar mistake in 2013 with a tweet about footwear during a potential military intervention in Syria, showing a lack of sensitivity to global events.

🍳 KitchenAid's Offensive Tweet During Presidential Debate

During a 2012 Presidential debate, KitchenAid mistakenly tweeted a disrespectful comment about President Obama's grandmother, who had passed away. The tweet was quickly deleted, and the company issued an apology, explaining it was a mistake by an employee who thought they were posting on their personal account. This incident underscores the importance of social media oversight and the potential for serious missteps even by established brands.

🍞 Epicurious's Tasteless Tweets Post-Boston Marathon Bombing

In the wake of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, food recipe website Epicurious posted insensitive tweets suggesting breakfast recipes as a form of support. The tweets were met with public outcry for their lack of empathy and were quickly deleted. Epicurious apologized for the posts, demonstrating the need for sensitivity in social media communication following tragic events.

🔫 Kmart's Insensitive Sandy Hook Tweet

Following the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, Kmart tweeted a condolence message that included a promotional hashtag for toys. The tweet was widely criticized for its insensitivity, and Kmart later explained that the hashtag was part of an ongoing Twitter party that was concluded due to the tragedy. The incident highlights the risks of automated social media campaigns that can inadvertently cause offense.

🍠 The Onion's Offensive Tweet About Quvenzhané Wallis

The Onion, a satirical website, tweeted an offensive remark about 9-year-old actress Quvenzhané Wallis during the 2013 Oscars. The tweet caused an uproar, leading to its deletion and an apology from the CEO. The incident serves as a reminder that even satire can cross lines and result in public backlash.

🦍 Home Depot's Racially Insensitive Tweet

In 2013, Home Depot's official account tweeted an image with two black men and a white man in a gorilla suit, accompanied by a racially insensitive caption. The tweet was quickly deleted, and the company issued multiple apologies. The incident led to the firing of the media agency managing their social media and emphasized the importance of cultural sensitivity in marketing.

🍕 DiGiorno's Misguided Hashtag Use on Domestic Violence Discussion

During a social media discussion on domestic violence sparked by the #whyIstayed and #whyIleft hashtags, DiGiorno tweeted a promotional message using the #whyIstayed hashtag, which was seen as tone-deaf and exploitative. The tweet was deleted, and the company claimed ignorance of the hashtag's context. This incident highlights the need for brands to understand the context of trending hashtags before engaging with them.

🚗 Progressive's Botched Response to a Tragic Case

Progressive Insurance faced a public relations crisis when they refused to cover the difference in an underinsured driver's policy, leading to a lawsuit. The case gained social media attention, and Progressive's initial response was seen as cold and unsympathetic. The situation escalated, with social media users criticizing the company's handling of the case. Progressive eventually settled with the family for more than initially sought, but the damage to their reputation was significant.

📹 Conclusion and Call for More Social Media Disasters

Simon Whistler concludes the video by inviting viewers to share more examples of social media disasters by companies. He encourages viewers to like, comment, and subscribe for more content, suggesting that if there's enough interest, a follow-up video might be made. He also recommends other videos on the channel, such as one about misconceptions about cybercrime and another about Facebook's influence on users.

Keywords

💡Social Media Disasters

Social media disasters refer to significant missteps or blunders made by companies on social media platforms, which can lead to public backlash, reputational damage, and sometimes financial consequences. In the video, this concept is central as it discusses various instances where well-known companies have faced embarrassment and disaster due to their social media activities. For example, Chick-fil-A's CEO's comments on gay marriage led to a social media storm and loss of a contract, illustrating the impact of such disasters.

💡Chick-fil-A

Chick-fil-A is a fast-food chain that became a case study in the video for a social media disaster. In 2012, the company's CEO, Dan Cathy, made controversial comments about gay marriage, which went viral and led to public outrage and a loss of business partnership with the Jim Henson Company. This example underscores the video's theme of how social media can amplify a company's missteps into full-blown crises.

💡American Apparel

American Apparel is a clothing company that is mentioned in the video as an example of poor taste in social media marketing. During the anticipation of Hurricane Sandy, the company sent out an email suggesting a 36-hour sale for people who might be bored during the storm. This insensitivity towards a natural disaster highlights the video's message about the potential for social media to backfire when companies fail to consider the context and public sentiment.

💡Hurricane Sandy

Hurricane Sandy was a major natural disaster in the United States, and it serves as a backdrop in the video to discuss how two clothing companies, American Apparel and the Gap, attempted to use the event for promotional purposes on social media. This is a key example in the video that demonstrates the importance of companies being sensitive to ongoing crises when engaging on social media.

💡Controversial Tweet

A controversial tweet is a message posted on Twitter that sparks debate or outrage due to its content. In the video, several companies are highlighted for their controversial tweets, such as Kenneth Cole's tweet during the Egyptian protests and Home Depot's tweet with an inappropriate image. These examples are used to illustrate how a single tweet can become a social media disaster, damaging a company's reputation.

💡Public Relations

Public relations (PR) refers to the strategies and activities that organizations use to communicate with the public and shape their image. In the context of the video, PR is relevant as it discusses how companies' social media mishaps often require damage control and PR efforts to mitigate the negative effects. For instance, after Chick-fil-A's CEO's comments, the company had to engage in PR activities to manage the fallout.

💡Epicurious

Epicurious is a food recipe website that is mentioned in the video for its ill-timed and insensitive tweets following the Boston Marathon bombing. The tweets, which promoted breakfast recipes, were seen as inappropriate given the tragic event and led to public outcry. This example from the video demonstrates how companies need to be mindful of the timing and content of their social media posts, especially during times of national mourning or crisis.

💡Kmart

Kmart is a discount department store that is highlighted in the video for a tweet that included a promotional hashtag in a message of condolence for the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. This instance exemplifies a social media disaster, as it shows the potential for companies to appear tone-deaf and insensitive when mixing promotional content with messages of sympathy.

💡The Onion

The Onion is a satirical website known for its humorous and often controversial content. In the video, it is mentioned for a tweet that insulted a young actress during the Oscars, which led to public backlash. This example is used to show how even satire can cross a line and result in a social media disaster, especially when it targets vulnerable individuals.

💡Progressive Insurance

Progressive Insurance is an insurance company that experienced a social media disaster when they used a long tweet to defend their actions in a legal case, which was perceived as cold and inhuman. The video uses this example to discuss how companies can exacerbate a crisis through their social media responses, especially when they fail to convey empathy and understanding.

💡Twitter Long

Twitter Long is an app that allows users to post tweets longer than the standard 140-character limit. In the video, Progressive Insurance used this app to respond to a controversy, but their lengthy tweet was criticized for its impersonal tone. This keyword is relevant as it shows how tools intended to enhance communication can sometimes be misused, leading to further social media disasters.

Highlights

Chick-fil-A's CEO Dan Cathy's comments on gay marriage led to a social media backlash and loss of a contract with the Jim Henson company.

American Apparel and Gap were criticized for promoting sales during Hurricane Sandy, showing a lack of sensitivity to the disaster.

Kenneth Cole Productions' tweet about the Egyptian protests was seen as an insensitive attempt to promote their new collection.

KitchenAid's offensive tweet about President Obama's grandmother was mistakenly sent from the company's account, causing an apology.

Epicurious faced backlash for posting recipe tweets in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombing, which were perceived as insensitive.

Kmart's tweet combining condolences for the Sandy Hook tragedy with a toy promotion hashtag sparked public outrage.

The Onion's tweet about Quvenzhané Wallis at the Oscars was deemed offensive, leading to an apology from the CEO.

Home Depot's tweet with a gorilla suit image during a football game was widely condemned as racially insensitive.

Diono's attempt to join a domestic violence discussion with a pizza promotion tweet was met with immediate deletion and criticism.

Progressive Insurance's handling of a case where they defended the driver who killed a policyholder led to a social media storm and eventual settlement.

Social media can be a double-edged sword for businesses, as it allows direct communication but also exposes them to public scrutiny and backlash.

Mistakes on social media can lead to significant brand damage, as seen with the examples of Chick-fil-A, American Apparel, and others.

Companies need to be cautious and considerate in their social media communications, especially during sensitive events or tragedies.

The video serves as a cautionary tale for businesses, highlighting the importance of social media management and crisis communication.

Viewers are encouraged to share their own experiences or knowledge of social media disasters in the comments section.

The video concludes with a call to like, subscribe, and engage with the channel for more content on similar topics.

Transcripts

hi I'm Simon Whistler you are watching

top 10's net and in the video today

we're going to be looking at the top 10

social media disasters from well-known

companies social media is a great tool

as long as you know what you're doing

with it unfortunately not everyone is an

expert and that's not just limited to

some 16-year-old with 37 Twitter

followers it doesn't matter if you're a

corporate CEO or a lowly intern

sometimes you might hit send and realize

within minutes that it was a complete

and utter mistake in the video today

we're going to look at some situations

where that happened and it led to

nothing but embarrassment and disaster

for the brands in question the top 10

social media disasters of well-known

companies number 10 Chick-fil-A back in

2012 Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy decided

that it was more important to talk about

why gay people shouldn't get married

than it was to sell chicken critics

wondered why Cathy would weigh in on

something so polarizing risking the

blowback from a large segment of his

consumer base that disagrees with his

views and when his comments quickly went

viral people naturally attacked the

company on social media in the aftermath

of Cathy's interview Chick-fil-A lost a

contract with the Jim Henson company

which pulled them up at toys in their

children's meals in an exchange on

Facebook posting about Chick-fil-A

voluntarily removing the toys a teenage

Facebook user named Abby F defended

Chick-fil-A using a quote from the Bible

one Facebook user decided to do some

research on Abby F noticing that her

Facebook account was only 8 hours old

and her profile was a picture from a

stock photo website the profile was

quickly deleted after the user was

called out for it being fake many people

believe it was someone from

Chick-fil-A's public relations

department but they denied that they

were behind the account number nine

American Apparel and the Gap the leadup

to Hurrican Sandy in the fall of 2012

was an anxious time for the east coast

of the United States residents knew that

a big storm was coming and the only

thing they could do was board up their

homes and hope for the best in the end

Sandy was the second most costly

hurricane in US history with 62 billion

in Damages and 125 US citizens were

among the 285 people who died amazingly

not one but two clothing companies used

the impending disaster to shill some

clothing American Apparel sent an email

to people living in states where the

storm was supposed to hit suggesting

that if they were bored during the storm

there was a 36-hour saale a lot of

people believe that this was just the

controversial company's way of getting

more attention the other company that

decided to take to the internet there to

sell some clothes during the storm was

the Gap as the storm was touching down

in New York they tweeted all impacted by

# Sandy stay safe we will be doing a lot

of gap.com shopping today how about you

followed by a link to their new store in

New York City they later took down the

tweet and apologized for it number eight

Kenneth Cole in February of 2011 violent

protests were in full swing in Egypt on

February the 3rd clothing designer

Kenneth coold Productions sent out the

following tweet from the company's

official account millions are in uproar

in # Cairo rumor is they heard our new

spring collection is now available

online KC this was complete with a link

to the company's website making things

even worse the Casey sign off indicated

it was Kenneth Cole himself who wrote

the Tweet the Tweet stayed up until the

late afternoon before finally being

taken down Cole apologized for it on his

Facebook and Twitter later that day but

the company never seemed to learn its

lesson in the fall of 2013 when troops

were possibly going into Syria they

tweeted boots on the ground or not let's

not forget about sandals pumps and

loafers # Footwear number seven kitchen

a during one of the 2012 Presidential

debates President Barack Obama started

talking about his grandmother who had

died the week of the 2008 election

that's when the appliance seller

kitchena posted a very regrettable tweet

saying Obama's grandma even knew it was

going to be bad she died 3 days before

he became president you may wonder why a

company like kitchen aids would take

that kind of stance in such an offensive

way after all they should just be

worried about selling more mixers and

fridges being so disrespectful to the

president over a tragic event is a good

way to alienate a whole lot of potential

customers well it was apparently tweeted

out by accident the person who did it

thought they were posting it on their

own Twitter feeds which with that

spelling makes you wonder how that

individual ever got access to the

company's social media in the first

place kitchena immediately apologized on

Twitter and tweeted a public apology to

Obama's Twitter account number six

Epicurious on the 15th of April 2003 two

pressure cooker bombs exploded near the

finish line of the Boston Marathon three

people were killed and an estimated 264

were injured brothers diar and Taman SV

were responsible for the bombing with

Talan shot and killed shortly after the

attack while dok Kazar was sentenced to

death this past spring the bombing was

tragic and shocked the country but that

didn't stop Epicurious a popular food

recipe website from deciding to post

some Tweets in response the next morning

the first one read in honor of Boston

and New England May we suggest whole

green cranberry scones then half an hour

later another tweet said Boston our

hearts are with you here's a bowl of

breakfast energy we could all use to

start today both of these tweets had

links to breakfast recipes on Epicurious

there was an uproar over the

insensitivity of the tweets which

Epicurious quickly deleted and

apologized for posting number five Kmart

on December the 14th 2012 20-year-old

Adam Lanza killed his mother and then

drove to Sandy Hook Elementary School in

Newtown Connecticut once inside he

systematically shot six adults and 20

children before taking his own life the

crime was as horrifying as it was

senseless around noon that same day the

story was reaching and shocking National

audiences discount department store

Kmart posted a tweet that said our

thoughts and prayers are with the

victims of this terrible tragedy # pray

for Newton # CT shooting # fab5 toys the

Tweet was going so well until the end

wasn't it people were outraged that

Kmart would include a promotional

hashtag to sell toys in a condolence

message regarding one of the most brutal

mass murders of children in American

history Kmart said that they didn't use

the hashtag for promotional reasons but

because at the time the news broke they

were having a Twitter party using # fab5

toys using the hashtag in the message

was supposed to let people know that the

party was over because of the tragedy

Number Four The Onion precocious young

actress quenan Wallace was nominated for

best actress for amazing portrayal of

the character hush puppy in the Beasts

of the Southern Wild at the 85th Academy

Awards in 20 3 the hugely popular

satirical website the onion had been

live tweeting the proceedings but

Unleashed one particular message that

shocked its followers when it called

Wallace well they see you next Tuesday

the Tweet said everyone else seems

afraid to say it but that quen Wallace

is kind of a right # Oscars 2013 calling

a 9-year-old something that ugly did not

go over well in the Twitter verse even

if it was from a comedy website an hour

later they deleted the Tweet but it did

little to subside The Rage of the

internet the next morning the CEO of the

onion apologized and said that that type

of tweet was not consistent with their

commitment to parody and satire number

three Home Depo on November the 5th 2013

Home depo's official account tweeted a

picture of two black men on either side

of a white man wearing a gorilla suit

with the text reading which drummer is

not like the rest see more at @ colg

Gamay piics at hgam day.com # hdgame day

#f footall the Tweet was also meant to

promote their sponsorship of ESPN's

college game game day the popular

Saturday morning college football

preview show they quickly deleted the

Tweet but a screen capture was tweeted

to the NAACP after the post Home Depo

posted many many tweets trying to

apologize they also said that they fired

the media agency in charge of running

their social media accounts number two

Diono when the video of former NFL star

Ray Rice punching out his then fiance

was made public the hashtags # why I

stayed or # why I left started trending

leading to an organic disc discussion on

social media as thousands of women spoke

openly about domestic violence it was a

real honest conversation held by victims

around the world and proved eye opening

for others to see that even in

contemporary times spell abuse is still

such a prevalent problem and then Douro

had to just spoil everything the frozen

food company best known for its slogan

it's not delivery it's dionio tweeted #y

iay you had pizza they immediately

deleted the Tweet insisting that they

didn't understand what the hashtag was

before jumping on the trend now they

just need to apologize for not

understanding what pizza is actually

supposed to taste like number one

Progressive social media can be a

two-way communication between business

and consumer unfortunately for

Progressive this became a major problem

in 2012 in 2010 an unidentified driver

ran a red light and killed a young woman

named Katie fiser the dri was

underinsured but Katie's policy had a

clause that it would cover the

difference unfortunately Progressive

refused to pay normally if an insurance

company doesn't pay out what they are

supposed to the insured can sue the

insurance company unfortunately the

Fisher family lived in Maryland where

you can't sue insurance companies in

order to get the money they had to sue

the driver of the car whose lawyer was

from Progressive's legal team Fisher's

brother wrote about his frustration with

the company under the headline my sister

paid Progressive Insurance to defend her

killer in court the post went viral and

people bombarded Progressive social

media accounts in response to criticism

Progressive took to Twitter using an app

called Twitter longer which allows a

tweet to be more than 140 characters

saying this is a tragic case and our

sympathies go out to Mr Fischer and his

family for the pain they've had to

endure we fully investigated this claim

and relevant backgrounds and we feel we

properly handled the claim within our

contractual obligations it was a pretty

cold response which only made the

situation worse actor Will weaton Made

progressives tweet into an audio file

with a text to speech application making

it sound like a robot was saying the

words and said dear Progressive

Insurance PR bot this is what you sound

like you inhuman monster Twitter loucher

were also banned Progressive from using

their app because they said Progressive

was using it to spam after that Fiasco

Progressive tried to switch gears and

blame Nationwide which covered the other

driver in the end Progressive ended up

settling with the Fishers for more than

the $75,000 they were looking for in the

first place so those were some of our

favorite screw-ups on social media by

big companies we'd love to hear about

others leave us a comment below and if

we get enough of them we'll probably

make another video like this so I'd love

to hear about them also click like it

helps get this video in front of more

people and subscribe to our Channel new

videos 7 days a week just like this if

you do want to check out another video

right now I'd really recommend you watch

the 10 the top 10 ridiculous

misconceptions about cyber crime it's

another good video about technology also

there's another one about Facebook

messing with our heads if you get time

check that one out as well and again

thank you for watching