This mattress company thought they’d attract extra business by using 9/11 as a subject for their commercial.
Now they’re under intense scrutiny from not only Americans, but the entire internet for their tasteless attempt at making comedy out of the September 11 terror attacks.
It's impossible for a huge company with a well-staffed ad department to do some kind of tie-in to 9/11perhaps the worst tragedy in American historyand avoid accusations of tastelessness. It's absolutely insane for a small business to go anywhere near the subject.
Miracle Mattress in San Antonio, Texas proved just how dumb they could be recently when they posted the cringe-inducing spot online.
The attempt to tie a mattress sale in with the 15th anniversary of 9/11 brought immediate and fierce criticism in the form of an avalanche of angry Facebook comments. As a result, Miracle Mattress owner Mike Bonanno was forced to post an apology on the company's page.
It's to Bonanno's credit that as apologies go, this is a pretty solid one. His company will also donate 30 percent of the profits made from the 9/11 weekend mattress sales to the 9/11 Foundation.
Maybe a good tip for anyone who wants to do any kind of ad campaign tied to the anniversary of 9/11/01 is this: don't.