The folks behind Microsoft's Bing search engine set off an expletive-filled firestorm on Twitter Saturday when they appeared to use the devastating earthquake in Japan as a brand promotion opportunity.

Early Saturday morning, the company sent out the following Tweet: "How you can #SupportJapan - http://binged.it/fEh7iT. For every retweet, @bing will give $1 to Japan quake victims, up to $100K."

Almost immediately, the Twitter-sphere exploded with contempt for the company and its fundraising campaign, asking why Bing wouldn't just donate the $100,000 and leave out the part where followers publicize their efforts.

"@MSFTnews: Why not just give them the $100k" peteofrepublic replied.

Comedian Michael Ian Black first re-Tweeted Bing's plea with the pointed but rather benign message, "Hey @Bing, stop using a tragedy as a f---ing marketing opportunity."

In a second more vulgar tweet, he started a new hashtag: #f---youbing."

Black's Tweet itself was widely re-Tweeted, but other followers joined in the anti-Bing chorus.

"Freneticfloetry" Tweeted: "For every RT, @bing will Google the meaning of ‘donation.'"

Ryan Kauffman, Tweeting as "Convexmirror" said: "'Hey, there's a nuclear power plant on fire! Let's get our name out there!'"

Hookah_Derp asked: "Hey, remember how Google set up a people finder to help Japanese find loved ones and didn't brag about it?"

Friday's 8.9-magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami killed at least 600 people, left thousands more missing and destroyed entire neighbourhoods. In the wake of the disaster, individuals pledged to make private donations for re-Tweeted messages, while others Tweeted contact information for various aid agencies.

The controversy comes soon after another famous Twitter public relations disaster, in which fashion designer Kenneth Cole used the unrest in Egypt as a chance to promote his latest collection.

Early last month, he sent out the following Tweet: "Millions are in an uproar in #Cairo. Rumor is they heard out new spring collection is now available online."

While the designer has long used controversial slogans for his ad campaigns, Cole was forced to issue an apology, which he posted to his Facebook page, "to everyone who was offended by my insensitive tweet about the situation in Egypt…in hindsight my attempt at humor regarding a nation liberating themselves against oppression was poorly timed and absolutely inappropriate."

No word yet on how Bing will react to the controversy.