The chaos on Twitter has people (and brands) tweeting their drafts — and some getting bolder than others.
The Tampax social team, for example, had apparently kept this one for a while.
You’re in their DMs. We’re in it.
We are not the same.— Tampax USA (@Tampax) November 21, 2022
Using the classic internet meme format of “You’re in their direct messages,” meaning approaching someone romantically plus “I’m…,” the brand tapped into its unique positionality towards its customers.
And it looks like the funny Tweet paid off. It has received more than 50,000 likes.
Tampax also quoted it a few hours later, linking it to the emotional, apocalyptic jokes that appeared on Twitter on news that some 1,200 engineers resigned from the company last Thursday.
refused to shut down twitter before sharing this tweet https://t.co/XVHHOcaZIK
— Tampax USA (@Tampax) November 21, 2022
“We refused to let Twitter shut down before sharing this tweet,” the company wrote. Others have started “mourning” the platform in Tweets.
my whole tl rn: pic.twitter.com/u6ifq0EZ2N
— (@ewgraiam) November 18, 2022
Elon Musk completed his purchase of Twitter at the end of October and laid off half of the staff in early November. His ever-changing ideas about spreading blue ticks caused Eli Lilly and Company’s stock to plummet earlier this month after a Twitter account imitated them and tweeted that insulin was now free. This and other blunders caused several advertisers to leave the platform.
Last week, Musk wrote a memo to employees saying they had to be “extremely hardcore” and “work long hours at high intensity” to join “Twitter 2.0.” If they weren’t interested, they could be removed and given three months’ severance pay.
Related: What is ‘decentralized social network’ Mastodon and why is Elon Musk already ranting about it
Three anonymous sources told the New York Times the number of people who resigned could have been as high as 1,200 of the 3,700 remaining employees.
However, the platform is still online. And people took advantage of that to tweet about the Tampax joke.
Me too, but without obligations
— Laddison (@mrexitliquidity) November 21, 2022
For example, one person referred to the infamous leaked conversation transcript in which the current King Charles III joked to his then-lover, Camilla Parker-Bowles, now Queen Consort of the United Kingdom, that he wanted to be close to her like a tampon.
“*spits on drink* King Charles has 24 hours to respond,” one user wrote.
*spits drink* King Charles has 24 hours to respond. pic.twitter.com/jUMaQCqy5Z
— ℙ???? ???????? ??? (@pettylabelle) November 21, 2022
Some ripped the Tweet:
even if it stopped I don’t think this needed to be tweeted
— Meghan Maureen (@Keggs719) November 21, 2022
Others were working on it:
Tampax, at least let it flow
— Tricky Woo (@TrickyWooo33) November 21, 2022
okay be honest how many people did it take you to see this tweet before you were allowed to tweet it
because it rocks
— Chairman Birb Bernanke () (@Bonecondor) November 21, 2022
— mmg. (@gangstaGURRY) November 21, 2022
There was also a bit of corporate humor. People have famous brands to stop trying to be funny on the platform, but it didn’t stop Tampax and Always from sharing period-related puns. (The brands have the same parent company, Procter & Gamble.)
how long have you kept it
– always always) November 21, 2022
“How long have you kept these,” Always wrote. “Since last period,” Tampax replied.
The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the circumstances leading up to the Tweet.
