Sports apparel company Adidas apologized Tuesday after sending out an insensitive email to Boston Marathon participants congratulating them for “surviving” Monday’s race, the Boston Globe reports.
“Congrats, you survived the Boston Marathon!” the tone-deaf subject line read. Within the email, the company told customers they were “Boston Strong” and instructed them to “grab new gear” now that the race was over.
Irate recipients immediately expressed their outrage, uploading screenshots of the email, which were widely spread on social media. Many reminded the company about the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, in which three people were killed and more than 260 others were injured after homemade bombs were detonated at the finish line.
“We are incredible sorry,” Adidas wrote in an e-mailed statement. “Clearly, there was no thought given to the insensitive e-mail subject line we sent Tuesday.”
“The Boston Marathon is one of the most inspirational sporting events in the world,” the statement continued. “Every year we’re reminded of the hope and resiliency of the running community at this event.”
The email comes two weeks after another marketing disaster, in which a Pepsi ad starring Kendall Jenner was widely derided as inappropriate and racially insensitive. The beverage company pulled the ad following a chorus of criticism and issued an apology, writing in part: “Pepsi was trying to project a global message of unity, peace and understanding. Clearly we missed the mark, and we apologize….We did not intend to make light of any serious issue.”
—RealClearLife
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