Paul from British Gas has a rough day for seemingly heartfelt David Bowie tribute tweet
Running a brand’s social media account can be a tough ask. Staff are tasked with maximising engagement and being interesting and all while retaining an air of professionalism.
Negative tweets directed at Paul from British Gas
The ‘British Gas Help account’, which consistently retains a personal touch from staffers, came under scrutiny after sending a tweet featuring #RipDB, the hashtag marking a year since David Bowie’s death. The tweet read as follows.
Morning all. A year today we lost a pop icon David Bowie, time flys don't it? We're here till 10pm if you need anything. Thanks, Paul #RipDB
— British Gas Help (@BritishGasHelp) January 10, 2017
At the time of publishing, it sits at the top of the #RipDB hashtag on Twitter, above even Sky News' tribute, following a mid-sized yet unsettling personal backlash against the brand's customer support account.
British Gas was accused of hijacking the anniversary of Bowie's death by some “offended” users, with one tweeting: “Why is one of your colleagues hijacking someone's death? I don't quite see the connection!!!”
Another said: “A really brazen attempt to hijack a Hashtag that has nothing to do with your business. Paul - you should be ashamed.”
Staffer Laura (not Paul who was assumedly in hiding) used the account to explain that the team often makes references to the current events.
@Waldmeisterei Sometimes we kick off the shift with something relevant - yesterday was FA Cup. Sorry if this one caused any offence ^Laura
— British Gas Help (@BritishGasHelp) January 10, 2017
While Paul became the centre of a debate, he wasn’t without his fans, with some people tweeting support.
@BritishGasHelp Paul you're the man! Don't let them get you down x
— Adam McGibbon (@AdamMcGibbon) January 10, 2017
Once things settled down, Paul issued a statement marking his absolute respect and reverence for David Bowie.
Hey, David Bowie meant so much to me. I didn't mean to offend anyone & I only wanted to pay tribute to a master songwriter & true icon ^Paul
— British Gas Help (@BritishGasHelp) January 10, 2017
Some people were unaffected by the post but made sure to correct "How time flys" instead.
The Drum has reached out to Paul to see how he's handling the crisis PR incident.