Should discussing 9/11 via social media be taboo?
What's the best way for companies to remember and honor 9/11? (Image credit: alfrednybiz.com)
No event in our lifetime has brought our country together like September 11. Everyone who was alive that day remembers it. You know what you were doing when the twin towers went down. Where you were. Who you were with. What you felt. How your heart broke for the Americans we lost. It’s a bond we all feel together.
Which is why I find it so fascinating how diverse peoples’ opinions are when it comes to how or if companies should acknowledge the 10th anniversary of 9/11 this Sunday. Ask five different people and you will get five different answers. I asked around my office this week and we asked the question on #pr20chat Tuesday night. Here are some of the responses I’ve heard so far:
- It depends on if your brand has a link to 9/11.
- It’s too sensitive of an issue to risk discussing.
- It’s ok to acknowledge the day and those we lost, but no company should be leveraging September 11.
- To honor is ok, to exploit is not.
- You may be trying to do the right thing, but remember intentions can be easily misinterpreted.
Leveraging. Exploit. Link. Honor. Intentions. And I’ll throw out another keyword — perception. Those are all loaded words when it comes to this issue, IMO. Why? Because what one man or woman sees as honor, another is bound to see as exploitation. What one company sees as an obvious link to their brand, a customer will see as inappropriate leveraging.
Look, 9/11 is a serious, emotional day of remembrance in our country. But it shouldn’t be so sacred that it’s taboo for us or our companies to talk about it. If you want to acknowledge September 11 via your social media channels and you’ve thought about how your actions will be perceived, then by all means…go with your gut. Just don’t expect everyone to support your decision, no matter how good your intentions. Make sure your leadership understands the possibilities and backs your decision.
Still unsure about the best way to address 9/11? Or whether or not to address it at all? Here are some perspectives from a few different PR professionals I respect that have given me something to think about:
- Does my brand have a link to 9/11? If the link isn’t obvious, I probably wouldn’t do it. Not worth the risk in that situation. (Arik Hanson)
- Our clients won’t be using the hashtag when sharing on Twitter. That feels like a marketing tactic. 9/11 isn’t about marketing. (Heather Whaling)
- I love what AmEx is doing with “I WILL” — connecting people with local volunteer opportunities on 9/11. (Amy Taylor)
- Come with tact. Don’t market it but remember it. A simple post is fine. We all remember in our own way. (Brian Blank)
Not to sound cliche, but there is no perfect answer. There’s just an answer that makes the most sense for your company or your clients. If your company/clients ask you how to talk about 9/11, what will you tell them? Are they asking?
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Who am I?
I'm a business communications consultant at Fleishman-Hillard. I used to call myself a PR professional, but I don't use that term anymore because people hear PR and they think only media relations.We do a lot more than that at Fleishman-Hillard Kansas City (FHKC). I specialize in social media, but am trying hard to brush up on my measurement and analytics. Every strategic consulting conversation should start with your business goals and how communications can help you reach them. My motto: "Your brand is what your customers say it is." 
I have never seen companies talk about WWII, the Vietnam War, or the first Gulf War. Given that, I have to agree with the comment you mentioned “To honor us ok, to exploit is not.” I think we as people have something to gain by talking about how Sept. 11 affect each of us. It’s cathartic, and we can learn from others experiences as people, and even as businesses.
@Anthony_Rodriguez Thanks for stopping by, Anthony. Good thoughts. Agree that honoring is the best route to go. And discussion is healthy. We just won’t be able to take an approach here that everyone agrees with. So businesses need to do what they think fits within their culture and doesn’t cross that exploitation line. Cheers!
Yeah, when you have an uber-sensitive topic like this one, it’s going to push all sorts of buttons.
I came on over after recently joining the conversation with @ginidietrich at Spin Sucks and you were mentioned as one of her ‘brain crushes.’ So I thought I’d come over and see what thoughts you have. So far I like what I read.
Great post Justin. I have another question that relates to this: what about simply posting in general on such a poignant anniversary? If a brand has a non-9/11 related event going on and the plan was to provide live updates, etc., is this insensitive? I remember the night that the death of Osama Bin Laden news broke, people were in an uproar about brands/people who were posting off-topic tweets/Facebook posts (clearly these people were paying the price for pre-programming their social media messaging). Would love your insight!
@Anthony_Rodriguez Thanks, appreciate you stopping by very much. That ginidietrich and elissapr are two smart cookies. I always learn a lot from both of them, but I would never admit it publicly
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@MaryAPorch That is an outstanding point, Mary. It really is. My thought would be to keep general posts to a minimum on 9/11, which should be fairly easy for most brands since it is a Sunday. Now if I was going to post because I have an event that day, I think it’s different and ok. But in that case I might suggest a tweet acknowledging the day to show the brand is sensitive and not oblivious.
The tweets I saw most people up in arms about during the Bin Laden death were scheduled tweets that had absolutely nothing to do with a breaking news story. I would stay away from scheduled tweets tomorrow period. But that’s just me. What do you think?
This was a great discussion last week. So, of course while I’m now watching 9/11 memorial services, State Farm comes on with a commercial featuring a children’s choir singing Jay-z’s ‘New York’ to a group of firemen. My family stood around and watched the entire thing. At the end of it, my daughter says, “THAT was amazing!” And my husband agreed. So? I guess there IS a way for company’s to show compassion during a tragic event.
@ElissaFreeman Wow, I missed that. Will have to catch it on YouTube. I agree, that sounds incredible. Focusing on customers and their lives versus our products are a good lesson all brands could learn.
@ElissaFreeman I saw that commercial this morning, too and was VERY impressed. Love the song. Love the mixing the new generation of kids showing respect to first responders. Love how State Farm was subtle and didn’t try to exploit the situation. If a company wants to be part of the large online discussion taking place right now, that’s the way to do it.
@ElissaFreeman@JGoldsborough Verizon and Budweiser also had similar commercials that aired today too. I didn’t even know it was a commercial from Verizon until its logo popped up right at the end. Budweiser was a little less covert because it used the very recognizable Clydesdales but it was still in good taste.
@JGoldsborough @Anthony_Rodriguez @elissapr Is this not public??
@ElissaFreeman@JGoldsborough As I concluded my professional football binge yesterday, there was one more thought I had about businesses touching 9-11 and whether or not it is to taboo to touch. I already said that if you honor them that in my book they are OK. But for the great State Farm, Verizon and Budweiser commercials, Southwest was a huge failure, IMO.
They tried to go the honoring route, but the commercial just felt to self-serving and I want to throw up. I was disgusted and a little mad at how their execution came off. I wonder what the Southwest blog look like today after that aired?
@Anthony_Rodriguez@ElissaFreeman Interesting. Southwest usually does these types of things well. But I didn’t see the commercial. Link?