Man Buys Promoted Tweet to Complain About British Airways

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By Todd Wasserman2013-09-03 01:39:15 UTC

In a world where airlines lose your luggage, one man couldn't stand it anymore.

No, this isn't a movie. In a real-life instance of the little guy challenging a giant corporation, Twitter user Hasan Syed has taken on British Airways by buying a promoted tweet to complain about his father's lost luggage.

See also: FedEx Responds to Viral Video of Driver Throwing Packages

Syed, who uses the handle @HVSVN, told Mashable that he bought the tweet in the New York City and UK markets. He said he used Twitter's self-serve ad platform to make the purchase. Syed declined to disclose how much the tweet cost.

The purchase caught the attention of Marty St. George, senior vice-president of marketing and commercial at JetBlue Airways, who expressed admiration for Syed's moxie:

British Airways did not respond to Syed's promoted tweet at the time of this writing.

Meanwhile, Syed's not the first disgruntled customer to take on an airline via social media. Dave Carroll and his band, Sons of Maxwell, put United Airlines on the defensive in 2009, when their video "United Breaks Guitars" went viral. It details how United failed to reimburse Carroll after his guitar was broken in 2008

What do you think of Syed's move? Would you buy a promoted tweet to call out a company? Tell us in the comments, below?

Image: Justin Tallis/Getty Images

Topics: Advertising, Business, Marketing, Twitter