Halfords slammed for ‘poor taste’ Easter email appears to joke about the Crucifixion
by Tony Diver, Daily Telegraph:
Customers of Halfords received an unwelcome seasonal surprise in their inboxes on Friday, after a marketing email advertising DIY products appeared to make light of the death of Christ.
The email’s subject line, which read “Nail your projects this Easter”, was taken by many to be a pun on the Crucifixion of Jesus at Golgotha, marked by Christians in Good Friday services around the country.
One Twitter user described the email as “in very poor taste”, while another asked if the company would “be so blunt about Mohammed”.
A spokeswoman for Halfords said that the email had been sent “in error” and that the reference to the crucifixion had been unintentional.
“We sent an email to our DIY database last week with an inappropriate title for Easter,” she said.
“We did not intend to cause any offence, and would like to take the opportunity to apologise for any upset. As soon as we were made aware of the issue, we immediately stopped any further activity.”
Canon Dr Chris Sugden, who writes for the Christian blog Anglican Mainstream, said it was “good that people spotted a problem with this rather crude piece of advertising”.
“But Halfords have apologised and Jesus’ death on Good Friday teaches us to forgive as we have been forgiven,” he said.
“We can suggest as a fruit of their repentance they make a donation to a Christian charity.”
Rod Thomas, Bishop of Maidenhead, said it was “a shame when people trivialise the greatest moment in history, in order to try and boost their sales.”
He also suggested that the increasing prevalence of atheism in the UK could be the cause of marketing blunders surrounding religious celebrations.
“If it’s just a pure coincidence, then that’s all it is. But if it’s more than that, then it’s a shame. If people have not got a Christian mindset, and increasingly in our country that’s the case, then these things don’t occur to them,” he said.
https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/03/30/halfords-slammed-poor-taste-easter-pr-blunder-email-appears/amp/
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