Do you want backlash and negative comments from customers

Backlash and negative comments from customers

Do you want backlash and negative comments from customers? Than use a national tragedy to promote your products.

Some marketing ideas are so unquestionably bad it’s hard to believe there were people clueless enough to let them see the light of day.

Wednesday 11th September 2013 was the 12th anniversary of the day terrorists crashed two planes into the World Trade Center, another into the Pentagon and yet another was downed in a field in Pennsylvania. All told, close to 3,000 people died.

Tumbledown Trails Golf Course in Verona, Wisconsin, decided to celebrate with a discount for golfers. The worst idea in the history of marketing ideas. Especially with the way they went about it. Nine holes for $9.11

Josh Orton pointed out this ad – which went viral on social media:

As you can imagine, things ended poorly for the golf course. Officials at Tumbledown Trails Golf Course apologized:

We would first like to apologize to everyone that we have upset or feels we have disrespected in anyway. By no means did we mean to do this. Here is what we will do this Wednesday 9-11; we will still let all that have tee times booked play for the previous rates we posted. Then for all other golf that day we would like to donate the $ difference between our normal rate and the previous price for the day to the 9/11 Memorial. We hope that everyone will now see this as a positive as we really meant it to be. Again we do sincerely apologize for offending anyone & hope that you do accept our sincere apology.

A posting on the course’s Facebook page read:

Please stay tuned to see if we will be open on Weds 9/11. We are now worried about what people will do/say to our staff & do not want anything to happen or get out of control. Sorry for the inconvenience this may have caused anyone.

If you don’t want backlash and negative comments from customers than don’t use national tragedy to promote your products.

Short URL & title:
Do you want backlash and negative comments from customers — http://www.torbenrick.eu/t/r/gzd

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About the author

Torben Rick Experienced senior executive, both at a strategic and operational level, with strong track record in developing, driving and managing business improvement, development and change management. International experience from management positions in Denmark, Germany and Switzerland View full profile

About the author

	Torben Rick
Experienced senior executive, both at a strategic and operational level, with strong track record in developing, driving and managing business improvement, development and change management. International experience from management positions in Denmark, Germany and Switzerland View full profile