In the latest public relations gaffe to hit the internet, Adidas is drawing criticism for an email sent to its customers about the Boston Marathon, according to posts on social media.
An email from the sports-apparel company sent to its mailing list says, “Congrats, you survived the Boston Marathon.”
Many on social media have called out the company for its poor taste, considering the attacks at the event four years ago.
Two brothers set off bombs at the 2013 race, before murdering a police officer and putting much of the Boston metro area in a police lockdown for about a week.
The Boston police commissioner ran the marathon this year for the first time since running in the 2013 race. After the race, he commented the city seems to have returned to normal on Patriots day after the ordeal.
Tuesday, social-media users began posting screenshots of the email criticizing Adidas for its word choice.
.@adidas you may want to rethink the subject line pic.twitter.com/curUb8FieO
— Mike Denison (@mikd33) April 18, 2017
Man. Adidas messed up bad with this one. SMH. pic.twitter.com/5L1d5hzjtR
— 💢Ant💢 (@Purely_Ant) April 18, 2017
Hey @adidas, I don't think this is the best subject line for an email...... pic.twitter.com/aByzQDS1Bf
— Kyle (@kgeich) April 18, 2017
At the time of the bombing, Nike was selling T-shirts painted with splattered blood that read "Boston Massacre" in reference to a Yankees-Red Sox series. Those shirts were quickly pulled from shelves after the bombing.
The Huffington Post reported that the company has since apologized for the email.
“We are incredibly sorry,” Adidas spokeswoman Maria Culp said. “Clearly, there was no thought given to the insensitive email subject line we sent Tuesday. We deeply apologize for our mistake. The Boston Marathon is one of the most inspirational sporting events in the world. Every year we’re reminded of the hope and resiliency of the running community at this event.”
Cox Media Group