No matter how many times brands are warned to carefully consider their social marketing strategy carefully and to think before they post, it seems some just can’t resist the temptation to jump on a social bandwagon.
Trump’s surprising election triumph brought yet another case study in ‘how not to do social’.
A matter of minutes after Trump’s shock win, up-and-coming sunglasses brand Hawkers took the topical bandwagon bait and leveraged a high profile and controversial Trump campaign policy by tweeting that Mexicans should buy and wear their glasses to hide their tears when the wall is built between Mexico and the United States.
Within a few hours the brand had lost one its highest profile athlete endorser as incensed Mexican Formula One driver Sergio Perez announced across his social platforms and to the world’s media that he was dropping his sunglasses sponsor after it had disrespectfully made fun of his country.
Speaking on the day after the election at the Brazilian Grand Prix Perez rounded on his former brand partner saying he would not allow anyone to make fun of his country: ‘I didn’t find it funny at all. It has nothing to do with the brand. Unfortunately, I have decided not to stay with them because of those comments. I would never let anyone make fun of my country.’
Perez had earlier tweeted: ‘What a bad comment, today I sever my links with @HawkersMX. I won’t let anyone make fun of my country! #MexicoUnited’
Que mal comentario, Hoy mismo acabo mi relación con @HawkersMX .Nunca voy a dejar que nadie se burle de mi País! #MexicoUnido
— Sergio Pérez (@SChecoPerez) November 9, 2016
Hawkers subsequently apologised through a ‘sorry’ video posted on Twitter by one of the company’s founders David Moreno.
Moreno’s video apology, in Spanish, said that he and his team had committed ‘a grave error’, that the tweet had been ‘a joke in bad taste’ and they were sincerely sorry about the comment which they subsequently erased from their Twitter feed.
Hemos cometido un grave error. Hoy CM significa Cagada Máxima. No volverá a ocurrir #losentimosdecorazonMexico pic.twitter.com/qEKOLf58ly
— HAWKERS MX (@HawkersMX) November 10, 2016
But too late, the damage was done, the endorsement deal over, while Mexican sports brands such as the baseball team Diablos Rojos del Mexico began boycotting the brand (it, blasted Hawkers and tweeted: ‘Our #PassionForMexico is above all, from now on their products will no longer be available in our shop’),
. @HawkersMX Nuestra #PasiónPorMÉXICO está por encima de todo, a partir de ahora sus productos ya no estarán disponibles en nuestra tienda. https://t.co/gd7EbPK6Nc
— DiablosRojosMX LIM (@DiablosRojosMX) November 10, 2016
while the media criticism spread worldwide.
Good on Sergio Pérez. He ditches sponsor Hawkers after tweet on Trump’s Mexico wall plan https://t.co/Z8AdwP2FEJ
— ShowRacismtheRedCard (@SRTRC_England) November 11, 2016
Will they ever learn?
