Tribute or Insult

Now, to our first examples of where companies have gotten it very wrong when posting content on social media.

Shortly after the passing of actress and author Carrie Fisher in December 2016, tributes flooded in from around the world on social media to mourn the passing of the "Star Wars" icon. However, for one company, its tribute was not to everyone's taste.

U.S. baked goods company Cinnabon issued an apology on Twitter after the backlash it received from tweeting out a tribute to Carrie Fisher, featuring an image of Princess Leia made out of cinnamon and a cinnamon roll.



Many critics said that it is beyond tacky and many felt that Cinnabon had utilised the death of a celebrity to hawk their product. 

However, Cinnabon wasn't the the only company in 2016 whose tribute about the passing of a beloved celebrity had sparked criticism.

When David Bowie died in January, shoe manufacturer Crocs drew fire after it posted an image of a white pair of Crocs with Bowie's Aladdin Sane flash logo.



Meanwhile Cheerios faced backlash after posting an image saying "Rest in Peace" with a single Cheerio on the 'I' on a purple background, shortly after musician Prince passed away.



These three examples social media marketing blunders should be taken as shining examples of the dangers that relate to poorly thought through Twitter content.

Although very low cost and extremely easy to do, Twitter has such a wide reach that it's integral that the brand's reputation is not defamed as a result of Tweets like these.

Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2016/12/28/cinnabon-deletes-and-apologizes-for-its-carrie-fisher-tribute-after-twitter-backlash.html