Today's award goes to the marketing department at Mini, for this monumental miscalculation.
Mini has taken a step too far in its attempt to be cool. It sponsored a storm cell in Germany that ended up killing more than 70 people and sent more than 500 to hospital.
The Independent newspaper in the UK reports that Mini paid just €299 [about US $392] to sponsor the weather system, a practice that is allowed only in Germany and the USA.
It named the cold front "Cooper" to promote its Mini before tragedy struck.Mini Cooper
A spokeswoman for Mini told the newspaper that the company regretted people had died as a result of Cooper. "Of course we are sorry. It was not intentional, you cannot tell in advance what a weather system will do."
. . .
It is unclear if Mini will go ahead with another planned sponsorship of a low-pressure weather system named "Minnie" later this year.
There's more at the link.
Just how does one live down 70+ deaths and 500+ hospitalizations as the result of your advertising campaign???