How Not To Push Your Brand on Instagram

Elisabeth von Thurn und Taxis, Vogue editor and German princess, posts a photo of a homeless woman reading Vogue during Paris Fashion Week to Instagram. Uproar ensues.

Instagram is usually the one social media channel you can’t screw up. When the level of debate rarely rises above which filter to use for that city skyline, you’re not exactly putting out fires on a daily basis. Good natured criticism of brunch choices are usually the only time you’ll see the comments section get anywhere near going.

However, some people manage to get it wrong. People who are so about the superficial that they forget that bragging about their lives can grate on ordinary citizens. People who snap indiscriminately and don’t ask too many questions before posting. To be exact, German princesses who work for Vogue.

In Paris for fashion week the past few days, Vogue‘s Elisabeth von Thurn und Taxis (her real name) took some time to upload an image of a homeless person reading Vogue to Instagram. In between shows for some of the most expensive fashion houses in the world, the Vogue editor typed out the following caption. ?Paris is full of surprises?.and @voguemagazine readers even in unexpected corners!?

After an onslaught of criticism across social media and industry blogs, von Thurn und Taxis removed the photo, posting the below image as a follow-up, with the apologetic caption, ?I?wanted to extend my sincerest apologies for the offense my post has caused.?Yours truly Elisabeth?

What do you make of the entire controversy?

I wanted to extend my sincerest apologies for the offense my post has caused. Yours truly Elisabeth

A photo posted by Elisabeth von Thurn und Taxis (@elisabethtnt) on Mar 8, 2015 at 7:05am PDT

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