Publicity Fail: Kenneth Cole Tweets About Cairo to Sell Shoes

  • Share
  • Read Later

Imagine you’re a fashion mogul, looking to make witty comments about current events to promote your brand. Is it too soon to make an Egypt joke?

Yes. Of course it’s too soon. If that wasn’t your immediate answer, just look to the Twitter account behind Kenneth Cole, which tweeted, “Millions are in uproar in #Cairo. Rumor is they heard our new spring collection is now available online at http://bit.ly/KCairo -KC” on Thursday, causing a major stir among bloggers and Twitterers. Two hours later, Cole attempted damage control, tweeting, “Re Egypt tweet: we weren’t intending to make light of a serious situation. We understand the sensitivity of this historic moment -KC.” But the tweet was too late — and probably false, as that tweet certainly made light of a serious situation.

(More on TIME.com: See the top 10 Twitter moments of 2010)

The Internet didn’t wait to mock this tweet. Already there’s @KennethColePR, a satirical feed of other non-PC possibilities for Kenneth Cole’s publicity department. Some solid examples so far are “Our Tucson store is locked and loaded with Spring looks!” and “People of Australia: Water up to your ankles? We’ve got your Kenneth Cole capris right here!” (via Huffington Post)

(More on TIME.com: See the top 10 tweets of 2010)