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Poorly Timed Promotion Sparks Apology

Sep 3, 2014  •  Post A Comment

In a case of bad timing, Fox Home Entertainment and the PR organization behind a “Headless Day” campaign to promote Fox’s “Sleepy Hollow” drama apologized for the effort, given the news that American journalist Steven Sotloff had been beheaded by Islamic extremists, The Hollywood Reporter’s Live Feed reports.

The PR campaign, which the article calls “playful,” broke the same day that the video of Sotloff’s beheading was released, the story adds.

“We apologize for the unfortunate timing of our ‘Sleepy Hollow’ Headless Day announcement,” wrote ThinkJam, the company behind the campaign, in an email. “The tragic news of Steven Sotloff’s death hit the web as the email was being sent. Our deepest sympathies are with him and his family, and we don’t take the news lightly. Had we have known this information prior, we would have never released the alert and realize it’s in poor taste.”

Fox Home Entertainment also apologized for the campaign, which was timed to promote the release of the first season on DVD.

“We regret the unfortunate timing of our announcement and our deepest sympathies go out to the families of all involved,” the company said.

The campaign included an e-card with a drawing of Ichabod Crane holding a skull, with the text, “I knew you’d forget your head if it wasn’t attached.” Another e-card featured the Headless Horseman with an ax and the line, “Does this axe make my head look small?” Another featured a character saying, “With hair like this, I think I’d rather be headless.”

headless day-sleepy hollow-promo

One Comment

  1. Great show. Horrible timing.

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