22 Inappropriate Tweets That Backfired

West Midlands Police tweeted in 2015 asking for help finding a missing 15-year-old girl. A man with the username @Garbutted made a horrible joke.The man with the username @Garbutted.He replied to the tweet, "If I find her I'll r*pe her."

He called it a "joke," but the police took him seriously. They told him they would pass his information to higher authorities. The man quickly apologized and said he was not serious, but he soon had to delete his account because of the incident.

The story of how Justine Sacco's tweet created worldwide drama.One tweet by Justine Sacco became a worldwide sensation.This story is incredible. In 2014, the 30-year-old PR director posted the insensitive tweet before flying to Africa. She landed 11 hours later as one of the most hated women globally.

Internet users grouped together, calling her racist and demanding she lose her job. Someone working in PR should know safer jokes.

Normally, you delete a bad tweet right away after realizing the mistake. Sacco could not do that because of her 11-hour flight. As hours passed, the anger over the tweet grew, and excitement built over what would happen to her when the internet turned against her. The hashtag #HasJustineLandedYet trended worldwide.

When she landed, she deleted the tweet and her account. It was too late. She released an apology and cut her vacation short, but she was soon fired.

After the terrible Aurora shooting in 2012, an editor at The Wall Street Journal...The Wall Street Journal.James Taranto.He tweeted this.He posted this. It did not go over well. People immediately criticized his tweet, but the journalist held his position.

He called his tweet challenging and started re-tweeting his positive and negative replies. He never apologized for the insensitive nature of his tweet, but he later called it "ill-considered."

When Janay Palmer returned to Ray Rice after the video leaked showing him knocking her unconscious in an elevator, thousands used the hashtag #WhyIStayed on Twitter to show support for Palmer.Show their support for Palmer.It's Not A Serious Domestic Violence Issue, It's DiGiorno.

DiGiorno Pizza used tweets about intensely personal domestic abuse stories to promote their pizza. This shows a brand not understanding a trending hashtag and using it anyway. The company apologized quickly once it saw its mistake.

This tweet deserves a serious facepalm. During the tragic Aurora movie theater tragedy and the following #Aurora trend, CelebBoutique.com posted an insensitive tweet.CelebBoutique.com posted an insensitive tweet.They posted, "#Aurora is trending, clearly about our Kim K inspired #Aurora dress ;)."

They linked to their website where people could buy the dress. People realized why #Aurora trended. They immediately deleted the post and apologized. Damage was done.Do some research before you tweet.Do some research before you tweet.

Matthew Doyle probably thought he would get praise for questioning a Muslim "woman" about the Brussels terrorist attack. His xenophobic behavior caused much backlash and mockery.Backlash and mockery followed.He did not apologize. Later, he admitted using the word "confront" was too harsh. That was the sticking point.

He faced arrest under section 19 of the Public Order of 1986. That section punishes publishing or distributing written material that is threatening, abusive, or insulting, likely or intended to stir up racial hatred. A day later, the charges against him dropped.

Officer Phillip White of the San Jose Police Department got into trouble when it became known.He used his Twitter account.White threatened and mocked demonstrators protesting police brutality. Things quickly went out of control. The community reacted with anger, and his department and government criticized him.

He received administrative leave. Many people signed a petition asking for his removal. Opponents argued he hurt any chance of peace between cops and protesters. However, it did not matter. He was reinstated, which badly upset those who wanted him gone.

Jackson Murphy captioned his picture with Amy Schumer to be funny: "Spent the night with @amyschumer. Certainly not the first guy to write that." Young men immediately responded with angry replies, calling him sexist and other things.

The worst response came from Schumer herself.Schumer gave the worst response.She replied to his tweet, "I get it. Cause I'm a wh*re? Glad I took a picture with you. Hi to your dad." This was likely the most embarrassing moment of the young man's life. He deleted the tweet and apologized quickly.

Rosanne Barr's Twitter feed features conspiracy theories and questionable tweets.Rosanne Barr's Twitter feed features conspiracy theories and questionable tweets.Her racist comment about former White House adviser Valerie Jarrett was the final straw for many. On May 29, 2018, Roseanne Barr tweeted about Jarrett.Roseanne co-creator and star tweeted about Jarrett.Roseanne tweeted about Jarrett, a Black woman who served as a senior adviser in the Obama administration.Roseanne likened Jarrett to an ape.She wrote, "muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj."

Barr received swift backlash from peers and Twitter users. She issued an apology, stating, "I apologize to Valerie Jarrett and to all Americans. I am truly sorry for making a bad joke about her politics and looks. Forgive me-my joke was in bad taste."

No one pardoned her. Soon after, ABC announced the network canceled Roseanne.ABC announced the cancellation of Roseanne.ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey saidChanning Dungey saidRoseanne's Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant, and inconsistent with our values; we canceled her show.

Barr stated she wasshe left Twitterafter her comments.

If you try to piggyback off a hashtag, you must at leasttriedto sound sincere. When Prince died and #RIPPRINCE trended, many people wrote about the man and his legacy. Homebase (a DIY store chain), however, did something much more distasteful..

They issued a standard, cheerful customer service announcement asking people to contact them with questions. The tweet ended with the #RIPPRINCE hashtag. People quickly deleted the tweet, but the internet moved faster. Major headlines soon circulated, accusing Homebase of exploiting Prince's death. They later issued an apology for any offense the tweet caused.

Assume Martin Luther King Jr. did not talk about golf during his "I Have a Dream" speech. But thatdid not stop the Golf Channelfrom trying to get attention for the 50th anniversary of that speech. They tweeted to followers, asking them to tweet their golf dream using the format: @DreamDay I have a dream that _______.

Angry tweets condemning the channel for using the civil rights leader to promote golf caused the Golf Channel to delete the tweet and issue an apology.

One day after Casey Anthony was found not guilty of charges regarding her daughter, Twitter exploded with #NotGuilty. Amid the angry messages and outrage, snack companyEntenmann's tweeted a messageasked "who's #NotGuilty about eating all the tasty treats they want?!"

Angry responses met the tweet. No one knows if Entenmann understood why the "NotGuilty" hashtag trended, but the company made a poor choice that led them to apologize and delete the tweet.

This seemingly nice gesture met disapproval when the Republican National Committee sent atweeted praise for Rosa Parksfor "her role in ending racism." The poor word choice angered followers.

Some people defended the RNC's wording, but this caused a flood of negative reactions and created a funny hashtag: RacismEndedWhen. Later, the RNC corrected the tweet, stating they honor Rosa Parks "and her role in fighting to end racism."

The U.S. State Department tweeted a message trying to sound hip: "Not a '10' in the US? Then not a 10 overseas." People quickly called out the tweet for being sexist and insulting. Worse, the State Department tried to defend its actions against the negative tweets, which made things worse.

When this happens, fighting back never helps. Companies and organizations must apologize and move on to save face.The State Department did this a little later.The US State Department Was Just So, So Sexist is in the list '22 Inappropriate Tweets That Backfired'.

Never use a tragedy to boost your brand. It looks distasteful and tactless. Bing did not see this coming, andBing tried to capitalize.on Japan's 2011 earthquake disaster.

They tweeted that for every re-tweet, the company would donate $1 to Japan earthquake victims, up to $100,000. After facing heavy criticism and accusations of using a tragedy for marketing, Bing issued an apology and donated the full $100,000.

Timing matters for a successful PR campaign. Qantas Airlines should have learned this when launching a campaign asking people to describe their dream, luxury in-flight experience.

Always read what you write before posting. Susan Boyle's PR team will not forget this going forward. Before the singer's new album dropped, her team sent a message with #Suanalbumparty to build awareness.

Sadly, manyTwitter users pointed out Susan Boyle.that it looked like "Sus An*l Bum Party," not "Susan Album Party." The team quickly switched to #SusanBoylesAlbumParty, but Twitter already had a reaction to the hashtag.

Hillary Clinton's administration tried a social media campaign using #HillarySoQualified to get people on Twitter to explain why they thought Clinton would make a good president.

The hashtag was Hillary Clinton.quickly taken over by Twitter users, who turned it into harsh criticism of the presidential candidate. People posted things like "Fired from Watergate prosecution team for being a 'liar' and 'unethical.' #HillarySoQualified," and "HillarySoQualified for jail - it's criminal." The Twitter campaign backfiring is more than just an understatement.

The NYPD tried an outreach campaign to get people to share photos thatshowed good interactions with police officers.This aimed to close the growing gap between cops and the community.

Instead of good pictures, people used the chance to post photos of cops abusing people and other pictures the NYPD likely did not want shared online. Many images showed cops wrestling demonstrators or swinging weapons at civilians. Their attempt at a peaceful Twitter campaign created even more tense relationships between civilians and cops.

Apparently, whoever Chrysler is involved.sent this tweetunder the Chrysler's official Twitter account was having a very bad morning. After the incident, the employee from New Media Strategies (the company handling Chrysler's PR) was fired immediately. Chrysler quickly issued an apology.

Penguin Books began harmlessly. They launched a Mother's Day Twitter campaign asking what books people got their mothers, using #YourMum. Internet society quickly took over the hashtag with "Your Mom" jokes.

Penguin Books laterthanked Twitter users for pointing outtheir hashtag held a double meaning, but they pushed people to focus on books.

Most major fast food chains maintain a specific image and brand. They want to avoid angering large groups globally. KFC just thought, "Eh, whatever, this will be funny."

Thecompany tweeted a suggestive image.The image showed a bucket of chicken with blurred images. Backlash flooded in. KFC quickly deleted the tweet and apologized for their "error in judgment" later.