Today, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, is the day we honor Dr. King’s valiant fight for civil rights.
Unfortunately, it’s also the day brands repeatedly embarrass themselves with totally tactless #MLK-themed tweets. No matter how much they’re chastised for promoting themselves on MLK Day or Memorial Day, it seems brands can’t resists the urge to capitalize on solemn national holidays.
To be fair, we get the appeal—with everyone sharing hashtags like #MLK and #MLKDay today, it’s an easy way to ~expose your brand~ to thousands of viewers. And there are some brands that use the hashtags tastefully—like AARP, who took the opportunity to share an inspiring quote:
Join us in celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. by remembering his dream for our nation. http://t.co/QYlpF3fkj0
— AARP (@AARP) January 19, 2015
On the flip side, others brands are using MLK Day as an extremely tacky, often offensive way to market themselves—like the linens company who’s not only having an #MLKDay sale, but also thought it was appropriate to use #whitesale in its tweet:
#mlkday #twtr followers #whitesale at http://t.co/WNl2K4TRry 10% OFF entire store #deals #sale #savings #discount
— BlueNileMills (@BlueNileMills) January 20, 2014
Because there’s seemingly no shortage of social media directors who think these types of tweets are okay, we’ll be updating this list all day with some of the worst offenders. If you’d like to share an especially egregious ad with us, send it via email to jtaylor@observer.com.
And now, without further ado, here are some of today’s top offenders:
Um, are we talking about MLK or the Super Bowl?! Update: the Seahawks seem to have deleted their original tweet, but we managed to grab a screenshot:
Because Martin Luther King, Jr. hated buying full-price clothing:
Happy #MLK day…in honor we're giving our customer 30% off all items… Enter in promo code "MLK" at… http://t.co/uvmXAdJLFL
— WilliamBostonApparel (@WBApparel) January 19, 2015
That promo code is really something:
Don't forget, today's the last day to take advantage of our #MLKday sale – 15%off all orders over $50 with promo code "ihaveadream"!!
— Kintigo (@kintigo) January 19, 2015
They don’t call him Martin Luther “who had a dream” King, Jr. for nothing:
#MLKDay weekend sale. From luggage to appliances, from movies to books and entertainment . SCT remembers the man "who had a dream"
— Second Chance Thrift (@secchancethrift) January 17, 2015
Actually, a “great offer” wasn’t what MLK was dreaming of:
Dreaming of a Great #Offer for #MLK Day http://t.co/l4tVSJu6 #mlkjr #mlkday #mlkjrday #costume #costumes #coupon #discount #sale #deals
— CostumeGuru (@CostumeGuru) January 16, 2012
Again, probably not the kind of big dreams MLK had in mind:
Our Dream Big #sale is going on now! Save 10% with promo code MLK15: http://t.co/ZaKmQvjdm1 #skateboarding #MLKDay pic.twitter.com/cRZPMJjPN3
— WarehouseSkateboards (@WarehouseSkate) January 17, 2015
There are a lot of great ways you can honor MLK, but actually none of them involve discounted Playstations:
#PS3s for #sale starting @ $100 in honor of #MartinLutherKingDay! #pittsburgh #pgh #electronics #ps3 #sony #playstation3 #mlkday
— Ninja Electronics (@NinjaElectron) January 19, 2015
Because MLK Day is all about YOU:
https://twitter.com/eleanor_kalle/status/557220999150985216
Ughhhhhhhhhhhhh:
Celebrate #MLKDay by eating non-violently. http://t.co/JRFPy98stJ
— Vegan (@vegan) January 19, 2015
Here’s a great find by Amber Gordon (Popchips seems to have since deleted its tweet):
wow i never knew Martin Luther King, Jr. loved popchips !!! #badbrand pic.twitter.com/QJqTRY9FfK
— Serenity Discko (@serenitydiscko) January 19, 2015