Lessons from Office Max’s ‘daughter killed in car crash’ gaffe
The father of a girl killed in a car crash received a mailer from Office Max addressed to “Mike Seay, Daughter Killed in Car Crash.” Its crisis communications response leaves a lot to be desired.
On Tuesday, Googling “Office Max” will return more results than simply an e-commerce site for purchasing office supplies. It will also spotlight a number of news stories detailing a recent incident where a father received a direct mail letter from the company addressed to “Mike Seay, Daughter Killed in Car Crash.”
Unfortunately for Office Max, the mailing label is no coincidence. Seay’s daughter was killed in a car crash in 2013. In a statement released to the LA Times, the retailer described the gaffe as the “result of a mailing list rented through a third-party provider.”
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