Sept. 11, 2001 was a dark day in history.
The day not only ended many lives, it also affected many more in lasting ways beyond the events of that day. But, it brought America together as a nation, fueling the need to come out of such a tragedy stronger and more resolved to fight for what matters.
For the owners of a San Antonio, Texas, mattress store, it’s an excuse make sales.
Miracle Mattress posted a commercial on social media for their “Twin Tower sale,” showing mattress employees knocking over two stacks of mattresses made to look like the Twin Towers, before a smiling woman looks at the camera and says, “We will never forget.”
Naturally, this commercial was instantly despised by virtually everyone who saw it. Some even issued death threats to the store’s owners. The owners closed the store indefinitely and issued a statement saying, “Our intentions were not to hurt anyone at all.”
The fact that Miracle Mattress could even conceive this ad is a horrifying prospect. A committee typically creates ads, and every decision made must be carefully thought out. With that in mind, the fact that no one involved in this commercial said that this was a bad idea is utterly shocking.
Miracle Mattress was so tone deaf to the obvious problems with this commercial that it posted the commercial anyway. Making an insensitive ad is one thing, but going through with putting it out there for all to see is a far greater offense. How could no one think that this ad would cause backlash?
Even more upsetting is the company’s apologetic comments. Following death threats to the company, Cherise Bonnano, who appeared in the commercial, said, “For our lives to be in danger, that’s not what we ever wanted.” Note how she made no mention of the commercial’s upsetting content and instead focused on the safety of her and her coworkers.
Furthermore, her sincerity could be in question following an interview with a local TV station when she called the commercial “a stupid idea” and then said that Miracle Mattress didn’t mean harm, seeing as they “make miracles happen.” It seemed more like a plug for the business than a sincere apology.
Mike Bonnano, Cherise’s father and owner of the store, has apologized for the ad’s content, calling it “thoughtless and crude,” claiming he had no knowledge of the commercial and its content.
The lesson of this incident is that every idea, good or bad, should be double checked. Always consider if it’s a good idea and if anyone will be offended. If the answer is yes, stop right there. And when dealing with a monumental event such as 9/11, virtually every answer is yes.
Bradley Burgess can be reached at [email protected]