A Super Bowl ad promoting tourism in Colonial Williamsburg made a questionable choice in showing video of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center.
Obviously, the imagery has upset Super Bowl viewers who found the reminder of the tragedy distasteful.
Using 9/11 for commercial purposes is as uncool as using Auschwitz. #colonialwilliamsburg
— Alex Polkhovsky (@polkhovsky) February 8, 2016
World Trade Center destruction in reverse?? Not cool, not cool at all, @colonialwmsburg. #ColonialWilliamsburg #ugh https://t.co/AHGvWu1UbQ
— Michael MPH 🇺🇸 ✌🏼 (@PhillyPartTwo) February 8, 2016
Others mined the situation’s absurdity for humor:
I knew it was an inside job! #colonialwilliamsburg
— Caroline Lee Smith (@cmlee) February 8, 2016
Update on Feb. 8, 12:13 a.m.: The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation issued a statement about the reaction to the commercial from Joe Straw, their public reactions manager:
In the days leading up to the Super Bowl, Colonial Williamsburg released an extended online version of its advertisement through its various social media channels. The ad garnered thousands of likes and shares alongside hundreds of positive comments within the hour. Youtube reviews alone ran 10-1 in favor of the ad. Its popularity, and the discussion of the events depicted in the ad, led to the conversation “trending” on Facebook.
We understand and respect that some of the images depicted in the ad are jarring. However, the small data point of people who objected to some of the imagery in the ad does not represent the total viewership. Not even close. We have received an outpouring of support on social media for the ad and its simple, powerful message: All that is past is prologue. Our ad is meant to walk viewers backwards through time, challenging them to reflect on how our collective history and struggles shape who we are as Americans today. We cannot forget our sacrifices or our tragedies even as we celebrate our accomplishments. Colonial Williamsburg does not shy away from these difficult moments in our history because they have made us who we are just as surely as our many triumphs.
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