Publicity Stunt Mistaken for Terrorist Threat
Thursday February 1, 2007
Turner Broadcasting is in hot water after a publicity stunt for Cartoon Network's Aqua Teen Hunger Force shut down the city of Boston and resulted in more than $750,000 in police costs. Devices with light boards were discovered around the city, including on two major bridges and on a street corner. At night, the light boards showed a character from the animated show flipping the bird.
More on This Publicity Stunt:
Sean Stevens and Peter Berdovsky were arrested and have been released on $2,500 bond each for allegedly placing the devices in Boston. They are facing one count of disorderly conduct and felony charges of placing a hoax device.
Outside of court, the two said they would only take questions about haircuts in the 1970s. When reporters asked if they were taking the situation seriously, attorneys piped up to say they were.
New York advertising firm Interference Inc. ran the campaign. TBS chairman and CEO Phil Kent said the ad firm was told to remove all of the devices after TBS became aware of the situation in Boston.
When Turner Broadcasting heard of the devices being mistaken for bombs, they told police the light boards had been in place for weeks in 10 other cities. Boston, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Seattle, Portland, Ore., Austin, Texas, San Francisco and Philadelphia were all targets for the publicity stunt.
Authorities in Philadelphia believe they've recovered 56 light boards. In New York, 41 have been found with 38 in Manhattan and 3 in Brooklyn.
The publicity stunt may be an expensive one for Turner Broadcasting. The company is now facing $750,000 in costs to reimburse the city of Boston for bomb squads and other police expenses.
Reaction in the ad world is mixed. Some say it was a harmless ad campaign and Boston city officials overreacted. Others say the campaign couldn't have been too effective anyway if the devices had been there for weeks before being noticed. And some say 9/11 has changed the way marketers need to think about their ad campaigns.
- Adult Swim: Home Page Features Apology
More on This Publicity Stunt:
Sean Stevens and Peter Berdovsky were arrested and have been released on $2,500 bond each for allegedly placing the devices in Boston. They are facing one count of disorderly conduct and felony charges of placing a hoax device.
Outside of court, the two said they would only take questions about haircuts in the 1970s. When reporters asked if they were taking the situation seriously, attorneys piped up to say they were.
New York advertising firm Interference Inc. ran the campaign. TBS chairman and CEO Phil Kent said the ad firm was told to remove all of the devices after TBS became aware of the situation in Boston.
When Turner Broadcasting heard of the devices being mistaken for bombs, they told police the light boards had been in place for weeks in 10 other cities. Boston, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Seattle, Portland, Ore., Austin, Texas, San Francisco and Philadelphia were all targets for the publicity stunt.
Authorities in Philadelphia believe they've recovered 56 light boards. In New York, 41 have been found with 38 in Manhattan and 3 in Brooklyn.
The publicity stunt may be an expensive one for Turner Broadcasting. The company is now facing $750,000 in costs to reimburse the city of Boston for bomb squads and other police expenses.
Reaction in the ad world is mixed. Some say it was a harmless ad campaign and Boston city officials overreacted. Others say the campaign couldn't have been too effective anyway if the devices had been there for weeks before being noticed. And some say 9/11 has changed the way marketers need to think about their ad campaigns.
Comments
No comments yet. Leave a Comment