Tone. Deaf.
This post, yesterday, from a company: Hallmark, whose marketing msg is “When you care enough to send the very best.”
A community member sent me this post (which was up on Hallmark’s “B2B’ accounts on twitter & faceboook), which reaches many thousand of ppl. I thought she was joking w me…till I went & saw the posts myself.
“B2B” means that this account is responsible for marketing their cards to large BUSINESSES to buy in bulk for employees, prospects, clients, etc. So consider the factors: during a pandemic, when most of the work force isn’t engaging in work as usual, & is stressed beyond anything they’ve seen or experienced in their lifetime, Hallmark chose to put out a card – abt WORK, making a JOKE abt something that SO many deal w & especially now, Panic Attacks.
Latest #s I’ve seen, even before this pandemic, ER visits for chest pains in the US, over 30% of the visits were due NOT to heart issues, but panic attacks. This is something SO many deal w, when we aren’t facing worldwide sickness & loss. It’s becoming way more common now that so much stress is circulating…yet they chose NOW to release this card/joke. It almost defies logic!! How did this pass any type of editing/double-checking process?
They may as well have said: “Depression got you falling asleep at ur desk…well consider that ur rest for the day.” Or…”Anxiety got u sweating in the office, consider that ur shower.” Let’s take it to physical health. Imagine they said: “Need to leave ur desk for your chemo treatments…well at least you get ur afternoon break from your coworkers.”
In no way would ANY of the above be OK, & likewise, the post that they shared here, is NOT OK.
If we can’t trust the largest companies in our world, who pride themselves on the proper sentiments, to be sensitive to MH communications, who can we? I debated not sharing this post, bc they took it down once enough of us put up a stink, but thinking more deeply abt it, we need to hold it up as an example, hold companies accountable, & make sure not only that these things never happen again, but these companies actually HELP the convo.