Were These 9/11 Ads In Poor Taste?

We heard about the golf course with the $9.11 special earlier this week.  And yesterday, a handful of companies once again tried to blend 9/11 tributes with product placement.  Here are the ones that are getting the most back lash on social media.

AT&T tweeted a photo showing someone holding up a smart phone against the New York skyline, with two towers of light on the phone's screen, in place of the World Trade Center.  They captioned it "Never Forget."

And people IMMEDIATELY started hammering them for mixing product placement with 9/11.  So they pulled down the ad and apologized.

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Pretzel Crisps put a photo on Instagram showing bags of red and blue Pretzel Crisps forming an American flag, with the caption, "United We Stand.  One Nation.  #Remember911."

The very first comment underneath was, "Are you guys serious with this?!?!"  Then more and more people piled on.

The company left the photo up, but eventually they responded.  "We truly did not mean to use this day as a way to put the brand at the forefront.

"We aimed to show our support to the heroes who fight and those who have lost their lives fighting for our freedom.  We apologize but this is not meant to offend."

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But the best was a photo that surfaced on Reddit.com, showing a sign in the lobby of a Marriott hotel.   "In remembrance of those we lost on 9/11, the hotel will provide complimentary coffee and mini muffins from 8:45 to 9:15 A.M."

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And finally, the most absurd tribute came from a horse grooming company in Long Island, New York called Natasha's Equine Clipping Spa.  They posted a photo of a horse with the New York skyline shaved onto its body. And the two World Trade Center towers are on the horse's rear end.  Although the people who commented seemed to actually like it.

What do you think? Are you offended by these ads or do you think these companies are just trying to show their support and honor those that lost their lives?

(Consumerist / Consumerist / Gawker)