Decal company offers primer for what not to do on Facebook

Texas graphics-maker Hornet Signs garnered worldwide attention and scorn for a decal depicting a bound-and-gagged woman in the back of a pickup truck. Now it’s threatening to delete negative comments.

Ragan Insider Premium Content
Ragan Insider Content

Then things got really bad.

The company, Hornet Signs, initially responded to complaints on its Facebook page (an example: on a post about a decal depicting the foam fingers people hold up at sporting events, a commenter replied, “I’ve got an iconic finger for you!”) by stating that the decal of the woman in the truck wasn’t for sale and that it was, instead, a “marketing experiment.”

“Let’s embrace the situation and take this opportunity to help victims of abuse all over this great country,” the company wrote in a Facebook message. Later on, it asked people to “share what others are doing to bring awareness and solutions to this disturbing social issue.”

All the while, the company posted head-scratcher polls asking, “Which will receive more publicity, controversy or compassion?” and whether the company should sell the decal on eBay.

To read the full story, log in.
Become a Ragan Insider member to read this article and all other archived content.
Sign up today

Already a member? Log in here.
Learn more about Ragan Insider.