Earlier this week, the San Antonio, Texas, branch of a mattress company posted a 9/11-themed ad on its Facebook page. Though the video has since been deleted, it immediately sparked backlash from people around the country who came across it. In the video, three employees of Miracle Mattress advertise the "Twin Tower Sale," in which they market mattresses of all sizes at "twin price" to "remember 9/11." They pose in front of two "twin towers" of mattresses that the employees eventually knock down after being shocked by the low prices being advertised. The video concludes with one of the employees saying, "we'll never forget."
Many Facebook users who saw the video expressed outrage in the comments of various posts on Miracle Mattress' page, leading owner Mike Bonanno to publish an official apology. In the letter, which was also posted to the company's Facebook page, Bonanno writes that he did not know about or approve the video before it was posted, and that "the video is tasteless and an affront to the men and women who lost their lives on 9/11."
However, the damage had already been done. Social media users flooded Facebook and Yelp with negative reviews of Miracle Mattress, and the comments on Bonanno's apology included threats to boycott the store. Multiple commenters also alleged that the woman featured in the video is a relative of Bonanno, and subsequently questioned the sincerity of his apology.
Although the company deleted the original ad from its Facebook page, producer and marketing expert Jamie Barrientos managed to record it and repost it to YouTube before it was taken down. As a result, the attention it received extended beyond Facebook; Twitter users also seemed to be widely disgusted with the ad.
But more than the ad, many social media users asserted that Miracle Mattress' decision to even have a sale on 9/11 was offensive.
In light of all of the backlash Miracle Mattress has received, Cherise Bonanno — the manager of the San Antonio store who appeared in the ad — also apologized during a recent interview with WOAI-TV, The Dallas Morning News reported.
"We are not hate, we are love," Bonanno told WOAI-TV's Amanda Weber. "We are somebody that stands out. We're Miracle Mattress. We make miracles happen, and for our lives to be in danger, that's not what we ever wanted." But Bonnano also said that the ad "was stupid. It was a stupid ad that we sent out, and we apologize for our stupidity. And we really hope you forgive us for what we've done."
WOAI-TV reported that Miracle Mattress closed for a day out of fear for its employees, who had allegedly received death threats in the aftermath of the ad's release. However, the company still plans to hold a sale this weekend — though it won't call it the "Twin Towers Sale" — and it reportedly intends to donate 30 percent of profits to the 9/11 Foundation.
Image: Jamie Barrientos/YouTube
