Lockheed Martin receives bloody images instead of cool weapons photos in failed Twitter campaign
Lockheed Martin’s social media appeal to send them the best photos of its products went horribly awry, as unimpressed Twitterati responded with gruesome images of the horrors of war.
The world’s largest defense contractor and one of the top defense manufacturers posted a tweet last week, asking Twitter users to send them an “amazing photo” of a Lockheed Martin item. It is unclear what the company expected to receive, given that it produces deadly weapons of war, but the campaign backfired spectacularly.
The “amazing photos” Lockheed received show what appear to be parts of their own missile that struck a Yemeni school bus, killing dozens, as well as children’s school backpacks covered with blood. The initial tweet was deleted, but screenshots taken by vigilant users are circulating on social media.
Dear @LockheedMartin , you asked people to tweet "amazing photos of one of our products" (https://t.co/ni5dTEzG6N). Here it is : This is a fragment of YOUR bomb, a laser-guided MK 82, which #SaudiArabia used to kill 40 #Children in #Yemen last week https://t.co/8kmhPCyavapic.twitter.com/uFj3oxsO44
— Donatella Rovera (@DRovera) August 18, 2018
Here is the product of your products: pic.twitter.com/3gAJGDtZmp
— Johny David (@JohnyDavid8) August 18, 2018
Sure do! You deserve this, Lockheed Martin social media intern! pic.twitter.com/NJ2R2Wtc8J
— Single Payer Now | Abolish ICE | Boycott Israel (@blueherring32) August 18, 2018
Great product! Killed 40 children. @LockheedMartin is the best. #worldphotodayhttps://t.co/Ui01dnnf3Ipic.twitter.com/BKvYbYosxk
— Definitely Danny! (@carpedanny) August 18, 2018
“They must be very proud of the product placement,” Twitter user Jason Wallace said.
“Blood on their hands: Lockheed Martin!” another wrote.
Blood on their hands: Lockheed Martin!#WorldPhotoDaypic.twitter.com/8FHytU6nIC
— Rafael Ciordia (@ciordia) August 19, 2018
@LockheedMartin should be mentioned in this. They must be very proud of the product placement. https://t.co/VborLPqQoX
— Jason Wallace (@JasonWaWa) August 18, 2018
Here is one of your products. It’s part of an MK 82 missile that was used to kill a bus load of children on their way to school in Yemen.Is this the kind of thing you were after? #WorldPhotoDay@LockheedMartinpic.twitter.com/LG5a505IQi
— tøggers (@t0ggers) August 19, 2018
Lockheed Martin has now deleted the first tweet. The weapons maker takes PR & perception seriously. Which is why it funds, pseudo-academic, lobby groups, such as @cepa, @AtlanticCouncil,@gmfus etc. Many prominent, war-focused, media commentators are funded by these entities. pic.twitter.com/rI9aMXjDbh
— Bryan MacDonald (@27khv) August 19, 2018
Lockheed’s initial tweet coincided with reports that one of their 500-pound laser-guided MK 82 bombs was used in a Saudi-led coalition airstrike on a school bus in Yemen earlier this month. The attack left more than 50 dead, most of them children. The same bomb made headlines in 2016 when the Saudi-led coalition bombed a community hall in Sanaa where a funeral was taking place, killing more than 140 people and wounding 525 others.
The US has repeatedly come under fire from NGOs and even US lawmakers to stop arms supplies to the Saudis, who are leading the bombing campaign in Yemen. Despite this, the Pentagon went on to award Lockheed Martin key contracts to supply weapons to the coalition.
The Saudi-led coalition’s actions have been repeatedly condemned by rights groups and the UN. It has left behind thousands of civilian casualties and has triggered a humanitarian disaster in Yemen. More than 22 million Yemenis need assistance, with 60 percent of the population lacking food and more than half of the country left without basic medical services.
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