An unintended consequence = Costly mistake

A harmless (and tasteless) display to promote a TV show and upcoming movie turns the city of Boston upside down. In a scene similar to "The War of the Worlds", a city is held hostage by a marketing campaign gone awry. In what may be called "Marketing Gone Wild", this is the most recent example of the responsibility that Marketers have in attempting to promote their products.

The symbol pictured on the left is called a "Mooninite" and is a character from a TV show entitled "Aqua Teen Hunger Force". The show is an animated program on Turner Broadcasting System (TBS). In an effort to promote this show and an upcoming movie, this character was created and constructed on devices similar to lite brites that were placed in 10 major US cities including Boston.

A transit worker in Boston noticed this strange device underneath a interstate highway. After receiving several more "sightings", and without knowledge that these were merely a form of advertising, the Boston Police Department acted quickly and decisively. Within a short time portions of Interstate 93 were closed and subway service was suspended. The Boston Police were justifiably concerned over their citizens welfare, perhaps prompted by the memories of 9/11. These devices were being treated as bombs, and all precautions were being taken to diffuse the situation until they could ascertain what they were up against.

The realization that these devices were not bombs and merely an advertising ploy outraged the citizens of Boston and its officials. Two men were arrested for placing these devices in these locations, and it was discovered that they were employed by Interference Inc, an ad agency hired by TBS to promote its TV show.

TBS responded to this outrage with a public apology "We apologize to the citizens of Boston that a part a marketing campaign was mistaken for a public danger.", but the apology seemed to be too little too late. The city of Boston is seeking reparations from TBS to the tune of $750,000 and other cities are attempting to recover the costs of removing these devices.

The financial repercussions aside, a larger issue becomes how far can a company go to promote its product? Was this reaction triggered by unjustified paranoia, or was this an outcome that should have been foreseen? Did marketers cross the line in this instance, or was this merely a slight error in judgement? Although the answers to these questions are not obvious, I would argue that marketers could have and should have anticipated such a reaction. Post 9/11 Americans are justifiably paranoid about suspicious objects and are more aware of possible terrorists threats. Marketers live in this same environment, and should be aware of this heightened awareness. Even if they do not perceive this security anxiety themselves, an examination of our society would reveal this tension that exists today. We daily read or see an event that illustrates the changing world we live in, and marketers need to be aware of and respond to this new world.