A good rule of thumb for brands on days like Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday is to avoid mention of the whole thing or at the most offer an innocuous but seemingly heartfelt tribute.
ZzzQuil, an over-the-counter cold medication/soporific from Vicks, flunked this simple test. The following tweet attempts to tie in the product's attributes with King's famous "I Have a Dream" speech.
Today is the day for dreaming. Happy MLK Day.— ZzzQuil (@ZzzQuil) January 20, 2014
[seealso slug="social-media-brand-mistakes"]
Expect a tweeted apology from the brand in 3, 2, 1....
Update: And here it is:
@giotaurus We weren't making a joke. It was to acknowledge the day and the man. We didn't intend to offend.— ZzzQuil (@ZzzQuil) January 20, 2014