15 WTF Corporate Tweets That Definitely Got Someone Fired
9. Best Buy's Insensitive Serial Reference
Serial became an absolute sensation in the fall of 2014, and the true crime story had millions on the edge of their seats for months. If you never tuned in, the podcast revolves around the murder of 18-year-old Hae Min Lee and the fact that the convicted killer, Adnan Syed, swears he had nothing to do with it.
As the story unfolds, Best Buy plays a surprisingly large role. The state's case against Adnan is based on the testimony of Jay, who claims Adnan called him from a payphone at a Best Buy parking lot. But during the podcast reporter's investigation, it's discovered that this Best Buy never had a payphone, calling to question whether Jay can be trusted.
Best Buy was on everyone's mind as this story was unfolding, and so some PR genius decided the electronics store should get in on that exposure. Towards the end of Serial's run, Best Buy's account tweeted, "We have everything you need. Unless you need a payphone."
On paper, it's a way for the store to show that they're hip and are listening to the show too, but it's also a flippant remark about the grisly murder of a 18-year-old girl whose family is still grieving, which maybe isn't in the best taste. They apologized and admitted the tweet "lacked good judgement." You can say that again.