What a PR nightmare. I have zero marketing experience but even I know how they should’ve handled this: So a fan tweeted this at her band (protecting her @ because she’s a fan and fans can make jokes that we can ignore.)

What could the band have done? First of all, NOTHING. If they did want to respond in a fun and humorous way (they say they were joking), they could’ve said something like: “Great minds think alike!” Or “Want to have a party in the woods, Taylor?”

That could have gotten Swifties to interact and even get to know their music and grow their fan base. Instead they went for this incredibly condescending route.

Now Swifties who sent disturbing images: this is not acceptable. Not. Acceptable.

Let’s note that this is not an apology. This is shifting the blame. It’s our fault we didn’t get their joke. But if it’s “incredibly obvious,” why isn’t anyone laughing? And now they’re also calling Swifties stupid

What they should have said: “We are sorry that our last tweet was tasteless and insinuated something that is not true. We fully support fellow artists, including Taylor, and we apologize for our mistake.” Even if it was that bland, it would’ve been good enough for us.

And to reiterate: it is not acceptable that some Swifties sent inappropriate messages and images. I can understand why the band got so defensive. But I hope this thread helps shed some light on how accounts should interact and tell “jokes” on social media