Tiptoeing through 9/11 marketing
Go Deeper.
Create an account or log in to save stories.
Like this?
Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.
Colleague Eric Ringham has turned in another 9/11-themed ad. This one appeared in this morning's Star Tribune. Curiously, the three area 9/11-themed promotions have involved either booze or food. There's been very little advertising locally that acknowledges 9/11 without trying to bring in a few more customers in the process.
"We've been saying to people, there's probably no right way to do this," said J. Walker Smith, executive chairman at the Futures Company consultancy, which is to release this month a report on public attitudes toward 9/11. He was quoted in a recent article in the New York Times on how advertisers are just now dipping a toe in the 9/11 advertising water. "If I were a marketer, I would let the moment pass," Mr. Smith said. "Anything you do could be seen as self-serving or disrespectful."
The worst 9/11-themed ad ever was this one in 2009 from the World Wildlife Fund-Brazil.
But what about an ad like this? It aired only once:
But there's also this: A New York winery selling 9/11 wine for $19.11.
Turn Up Your Support
MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all.
