Best Buy attempted to ride on the popularity of Serial's podcast about the 1999 murder of Hae Min Lee by posting a tweet with the hashtag #Serial on their account. Adnan Syed, the victim's ex-boyfriend has been convicted for her murder, and a payphone that may or may not have existed outside a Best Buy location played a key factor in sending him to prison.
Best Buy's tweet, although retweeted and favorited by many on Twitter, including Serial's own official account, was deemed to be in poor taste and was deleted for poking fun at a real life murder mystery case.
The tweet, which has already been removed from the site by Best Buy, said, "We have everything you need. Unless you need a payphone. #Serial"
An hour later, Best Buy apologized for the tweet and said, "We deeply apologize for our earlier tweet about Serial. It lacked good judgement and doesn't reflect the values of our company. We are sorry."
However, before it was taken down, many online critics tweeted their disapproval of the joke which many thought was insensitive to the grieving friends and families involved in the real life case.
Best Buy, that was bad: "We have everything you need. Unless you need a payphone. #Serial." https://t.co/NTHcbMFpAd
— Aaron Couch (@AaronCouch) December 12, 2014
From murder case to branding opportunity. Very sensitive, guys RT @BestBuy We have everything you need. Unless you need a payphone. #Serial
— Dan Stewart (@thatdanstewart) December 11, 2014
Hey guys you know someone actually was murdered right RT @BestBuy: We have everything you need. Unless you need a payphone. #Serial
— Stephanie Haberman (@StephLauren) December 11, 2014
Others however, felt that the critics took the joke too seriously.
Everyone talks about Serial like it's fiction, and then when Best Buy makes a joke about said fiction, people freak out. I mean.
— Louis Peitzman (@LouisPeitzman) December 11, 2014
It was funny. And treaded the same moral grey area that Serial does. MT @BestBuy: We deeply apologize for our earlier tweet about Serial.
— nictate (@nictate) December 12, 2014
The popularity of the Serial podcast continues to soar and the many mentions of Best Buy in connection to the case are causing many to start taking #BestBuySelfies in the hunt for the mysterious payphone.
In any case, Best Buy is sure going to think twice before using social media to jump on an unintended promo based on a murder case.
