An advertising strategy many companies turn to is the use of current events to advertise merchandise, allowing consumers to feel a connection with the company and product. This method can be beneficial, but there is risk involved. Companies have to be extremely careful with which current events they refer to, as some references can be seen as unethical.

In her article, Susan Krashinsky reports incidents where companies have gone too far with their references. One recent marketing strategy gone wrong was companies posting on social media that they were ‘remembering’ the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks, such as the phone company AT&T, however the posts seemed more like they were using the twelfth anniversary of the tragedy to promote their products.

The article recounts other incidents where companies have made unethical references to current events, such as the riots in Egypt and the potential attacks on Syria.

The use of connections to the media can be a valuable marketing strategy, but companies must be careful with how far they take these references. Misusing this strategy can lead to unhappy consumers and bad company publicity. Personally, I find that the use of the memory of the 9/11 tragedy makes companies seem naive and disrespectful, even if they intended the comment to be genuine and caring.