Arcade Fire Apologizes For Controversial Social Media Campaign
VIDEO: Arcade Fire - Electric Blue (Official Video)
By Hayden Wright
(RADIO.COM) - Over the last several weeks, Arcade Fire have been forced to clarify elements of their promo campaign for Everything Now. Fans were annoyed when accounts urged them to adhere to a dress code for upcoming shows. They were mystified by overpriced fidget spinners. Satirical reports of "removable jihadi beards" and other bizarre and offensive merchandise didn't elicit many laughs—just outright confusion.
The band released a statement that blames social media strategist Tannis Wright for the campaign.
"He thought about marketing our new album, Everything Now, in ways that we never would have, and while we didn't agree with all of them, we had internally agreed to try some things this time around that we might not have tried in the past," the band said.
"In recent weeks, it has come to light that [the strategist] crossed the line from marketing into outright fiction on more than one occasion, and has even offended some readers, fans and websites," they continued. "He wasn't being truthful with the band or our fans at all times."
Moving forward, Arcade Fire will return to managing its own social media channels to prevent future frustration and confusion among fans.
See the full statement here:
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