Delta Airlines' pro-Team USA tweet celebrating the team's 2-1 World Cup victory over Ghana was a misfire, as some critics accused the brand of insensitivity and even racism.
The brand's tweet attempted to use imagery to distinguish the two countries. The United States' was the Statue of Liberty. Ghana's was a giraffe:
[seealso slug="marketing-wins-fails-2013"]
Multiple sources, including this travel site, as well as maps from the World Wildlife Fund and a research paper in BMC Biology say giraffes do not live in Ghana, and critics blamed Delta for reducing the country to a stereotype. (However, it is worth noting that this YouTube clip is called "Ghana giraffes," although there is no description about the video.)
@delta Giraffes are not from Ghana #WorldCup #USAvsGHA pic.twitter.com/VeXEOOMDjL
— A.X. Ian (@axian) June 17, 2014
@Delta @clint_dempsey @SoundersFC thats racist lmao
— Jack (@DoomMagician) June 17, 2014
Can't say I'm too surprised Delta doesn't know where giraffes live. They think Atlanta is on the way to everywhere.
— Ian Actual (@iboudreau) June 17, 2014
Delta did not immediately respond to a request for comment. However, the brand later apologized on Twitter:
We're sorry for our choice of photo in our previous tweet. Best of luck to all teams.
— Delta (@Delta) June 17, 2014