Kenneth Cole on the Arab Spring
As the Middle East revolted, social media became an important tool in mobilizing protesters en masse and sending live reports from violent clashes with police. Highly-trafficked hashtags like #Cairo, #Tahrir and #Jan25 were used across the world to stream updates. And then there was Kenneth Cole's (@KennethCole) vapid hijacking of #Cairo, considered the worst p.r. gaffe of the year, let alone the biggest p.r. misstep on Twitter. What's worse, it was sent out by the designer himself. He later apologized on his Facebook page, saying, "I apologize to everyone who was offended by my insensitive tweet about the situation in Egypt. I've dedicated my life to raising awareness about serious social issues, and in hindsight my attempt at humor regarding a nation liberating themselves against oppression was poorly timed and absolutely inappropriate."