Bol.com celebrates Netherland national holiday with Luxembourg flag. Awkward.

Koningsdag or King's Day is a national holiday in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Celebrated on 27 April, the date marks the birth of King Willem-Alexander. Until the abdication of Queen Beatrix in 2013, the holiday was known as Koninginnedag or Queen's Day and was celebrated on 30 April. Another fact is that you become gradually worse at pronouncing "Koninginnedag" as the day wears on and the beers flow. This isn't just a national holiday, this is a national party, with parades, tax-free flea markets, street food and silliness where everyone is dressed in the house of Oranje's bright orange. In short, it's very patriotic.

So you'd think when the Dutch site Bol.com sent out their email blast celebrating the day with special offers, they would take note about the all-important flag in their little animation. It's the flag of Luxembourg.You know, the quaint stamp-sized country next door that has won Eurovision five times and via that brought us both Poupée De Cire, Poupée De Son, and by her success the song "My Way" (original "Comme d'habitude" by Claude François). 

Confronted on their mistake on Twitter, Bol.com doesn't even take the opportunity to make a joke about it, in the clever tone of voice that the brand has already established. Instead we're served the "we'll pass on your feedback" and a bead sweat emoji laughter at "seeing where the confusion may arise" as the flags are, indeed, similar. 

We begrijpen inderdaad waar enige verwarring kan ontstaan, Pieter. We zullen je in ieder geval feedback doorgeven, dankjewel!

— bol.com (@bol_com) April 27, 2020

Ah well, that was awkward. Since consumers have long treated ads on social media and in email blasts as seriously as they would a Superbowl commercial or 94-sheet billboard, it's best to check that email twice over before sending it out.