At 6:31 PM last night, a well-known theatre in Princeton, New Jersey sent out an email with the following subject line:

• Subject: Arts and Culture Matter

Exactly 100 minutes later, a second email was sent:

• Subject: My Apology

Yeah.

The apology was solid, noting the “very poor choice of words…in the subject line for today’s email”, which “came across as if we were equating arts and culture with the Black Lives Matter movement…not a belief that McCarter or I hold”. Of course, with a bit of thought and more judicious editing, the need for a second email could have been avoided entirely.

Take heed, marketers. The lessons from Rothy’s screw-up six years months weeks ago don’t just apply to COVID-19.