MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – These days, brands riding on what’s viral on social media is par for the course. But when done in bad taste, it can do more harm than good. 

Netizens on Tuesday, July 23, hit Grab Philippines for its tweet riding on the rumored breakup between celebrities Gerald Anderson and Bea Alonzo, implying that it was okay to cheat. 

On Sunday, Alonzo, Gerald’s girlfriend of several years, made cryptic posts on Instagram, alluding to betrayal.

While she didn’t say who she was posting about, eagle-eyed fans noticed Bea had liked the Instagram post about Gerald spending time with another celebrity, Julia Barretto. (READ: Marjorie Barretto mulls legal action vs poster of Julia Barretto-Gerald Anderson photo)

“Walang Kailangan Maiwan. Walang Kailangan Masaktan. Sa GrabCar 6-seater, pwedeng magsabay-sabay.” read the tweet. (No one should be left behind. No one should get hurt. In the GrabCar 6-seater, we can all go together.)

After gaining backlash on social media, Grab Philippines deleted its tweet, but the internet kept receipts.

Twitter user Allex called out the ride-hailing service, saying the tweet was “distasteful.”

Meanwhile, ride-hailing app Angkas tweeted, “Bakit kasi sabay-sabay ha? Dito sa Angkas, one-at-a-time lang lagi ang sakay.” (Why do you have to bring everyone at the same time? Here at Angkas, we transport you one at a time.)

Bakit kasi sabay-sabay ha? Dito sa Angkas, one-at-a-time lang lagi ang sakay.

— Angkas (@angkas) July 23, 2019

Here’s what other netizens had to say about Grab’s marketing moment gone wrong:

Reaction to Grab tweet – Curated tweets by rapplerdotcom

Grab apologizes

Minutes after it deleted its tweet, Grab Philippines issued an apology, saying, “We were in no way encouraging nor condoning disrespect for women and disrespect within relationships…. We admire the love and loyalty that fans have for all these wonderful women. Thank you for reminding us what not to be!”

pic.twitter.com/rvg4BWDY70

— Grab Philippines (@grabph) July 23, 2019

In a statement sent to media, Grab Philippines said they will reach out to to the 6 female celebrities to extend their apologies.

“While our intent was to create relevant conversations, we failed to do so, and regret that the effect of the post was insensitive and offensive – something that does not reflect our values at Grab,” the statement said.

Grab added, “While this isolated incident may have misrepresented our position on women’s rights, we remain to be a steadfast supporter and advocate of the welfare of women everywhere.”

What do you think of brands riding on issues as marketing gimmicks? – Rappler.com