10 of 2014’s biggest PR mistakes
The past year has been full of brands and prominent people making public relations mistakes—on Twitter, on their websites, in interviews. Here are some of the biggest.
It’s that time of year when we take a look back at the most egregious PR mishaps, disasters and catastrophes and ask, “What were they thinking?”
This year had no shortage, as the news seemed to be riddled with PR disasters. Some were a simple misstep or careless Tweet, while others seemed to be a litany of bad decisions that left us cringing.
Here are some of the best examples of the worst offenses from 2014.
Urban Outfitters’ Kent State sweatshirt
Urban Outfitters is notorious for selling some wildly offensive merchandise.
Most recently, the clothing company sold a distressed Kent State sweatshirt that appeared to be stained in blood. The public was outraged by the insensitivity. Urban Outfitters later issued an apology, saying, “It was never our intention to allude to the tragic events that took place at Kent State in 1970 and we are extremely saddened that this item was perceived as such.”
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