Twin Tower Mattress Sale – How to get back up when a nation turns against you

Author: Sofie Gustavsson

Part 1: The Twin Tower Mattress Sale Fail

The American mattress store Miracle Mattress posted their new advertisement on their Facebook page on the 8th of September 2016 named the twin tower sale in which all mattresses can be purchased for the price of a twin bed (See video below. Original video was removed from the web). The consumers felt that the video is highly offensive and mocks those affected by the 9/11 incident.

Three apologetic letters were posted by CEO Mike Bonnano on their Facebook account.

1. Letter 1 September 8th: States that the advertisement was made without his awareness and that the apologizes and is disgusted by the advertisement created. 
2. Letter 2 September 9th: States that the stores will be closed indefinitely out of respect, money will be donated to a 9/11 foundation and their staff will receive training.
3. Letter 3 September 15th: Further apologies are made and state a list of lessons learned from their mistake.
4. Additionally, a news article is shared on their Facebook page, in which the CEO was in contact with a 9/11 victim who forgives him and the company. 

Part 2: How to get sympathy after enraging an entire country

Following a crisis, anger and sympathy are the most common emotions experienced by the public. When responsibility fully lies with the company, the key is to turn the anger into sympathy. In that case Situational Crisis Communication Theory states that the company should offer the victims aid whether symbolic or material and take full responsibility. 

Miracle Mattress decided to face the music on social media, which means other factors also need to considered. Simply spreading information is not enough! A dialog is crucial in order to build a relationship. Listen to their concerns, respond accordingly and remain accessible. This should however be done with credibility, not only showing sincerity, but backing up with credible sources. 

What they did right

They tried to make amends in several ways: shutting down the store surrounding the dates of 9/11, donate money to a 9/11 foundation, promise to train their staff and a meeting was set up with a 9/11 victim in order to learn from their mistake. This resulted in a perceived sincerity from the steps taken and authenticity from their meeting with a victim. Supporting comments expressing sympathy greatly increased by the third letter of apology. 

Improvements

The company greatly missed out on two fundamental factors:

1. Responsibility 

When the fault lies with the company, taking full responsibility is a crucial part. The CEO used his own employees as a scapegoat, which did not come across as truthful for many consumers. 

1. Accessibility

They also did not take advantage of their communication channel, Facebook. Some posts were made as an outlet of frustration, but others wanted the company to respond. A better relationship could have been established if a dialogue would have been created, rather than using the platform as one-way communication. 

About the author: Sofie is a passionate PR professional within field of crisis communication. She has decided to utilize her vast practical knowledge along with new findings in academia to help fellow PR professionals with tips and to offer interesting reads.