Here Are The Dumbest Things Brands Have Tweeted Today To ‘Honor’ Martin Luther King, Jr.

Holidays and historic anniversaries are like social media landmines for brands (just ask AT&T about its tacky 9/11-themed tweet or SpaghettiOs about their Pearl Harbor “remembrance” tweet), and yet corporate social media directors continue to dance through them with steel-toed boots, all in the horribly misguided pursuit of brand awareness.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day has been no different. From over-the-counter sleep aid ZzzQuil making a tacky “dream” association to Malt-O-Meal urging followers to load up at breakfast so they can “do something meaningful today,” brands are crudely trying to climb their way up MLK-related hashtag ladders. Below are some of the worst examples, permanently preserved via screenshot magic.

Credit for uncovering/exposing many of these goes to comedian and Parks and Recreation writer Joe Mande (@JoeMande), the Internet’s resident brand-shaming wizard. Bizarro Darren Rovell, if you will.

Pop Chips

Bailey, The Los Angeles Kings Mascot

ZzzQuil

Krazy Glue

U.S. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) (apology here)

Malt-O-Meal

Arby’s

Forever 21

Microsoft/Windows/Bing

Schwinn

Canoe & Kayak Magazine

White Castle

Pornhub (Admittedly, this can’t be considered “dumb” since they knew exactly what they were doing)

Dow Chemical

Chicken of the Sea

Staples

PETA

Hats.com

Party Bus Bookings

EyeSmart

The Nature Conservancy of Washington

This post will be updated throughout the day. *Furiously refreshes @NRA feed*

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