Bing Apologizes For Japan Quake Tweet

Bing has just apologized on Twitter for a tweet earlier today that many viewed as a way to gain exposure in the name of raising money for victim’s of Friday’s earthquake in Japan.

The apology reads as follows:

We apologize the tweet was negatively perceived. Intent was to provide an easy way for people to help Japan. We have donated $100K.

The apology comes about seven hours after the controversial tweet in which Bing promised to donate $1 to quake relief for every retweet, up to a maximum $100,000 donation.

Here’s the text of that tweet:

How you can #SupportJapan – http://binged.it/fEh7iT. For every retweet, @bing will give $1 to Japan quake victims, up to $100K.

Twitter users reacted loudly and swiftly to Bing’s original tweet, using all kinds of four-letter words that aren’t suitable for re-printing here and accusing Bing of turning the tragedy in Japan into a marketing opportunity.

It’s not unlike the Kenneth Cole Twitter mistake in early February, in which the retailer tweeted a link to its spring collection and tied it to the “uproar” that was happening in Eqypt. Kenneth Cole eventually deleted the offending tweet from its stream. To Bing’s credit perhaps, it hasn’t (yet) deleted its tweet today.