No such thing as bad publicity?

I have to wonder to myself today whether publicity at any cost is really a smart strategy. After Cartoon Network's outrageous stunt that involved the posting of small, battery powered light screens all over the city of Boston. These screens displayed cartoon characters, but were mistaken for bombs by local authorities.

While this marketing campaign to draw attention to an Adult Swim program, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, took place in nine other cities without a hitch, it went horribly awry in Boston. The bomb squad was called, traffic was diverted, and the mayor even got involved. Two employees of the New York marketing group, Interface, Inc., were arrested on Wednesday for their participation in the "incident."

Who knew small, battery powered light screens could cause such an uproar? As of now, Turner Broadcasting System Inc. has already offered an apology for the incident, but it will certainly be interesting to see how this pans out. The guerrilla campaign certainly drew media attention... but perhaps not how Turner Broadcasting Inc. would have liked.

I can't decide whether I think this snafu was a clever tactic to break through the clutter of traditional media that was horribly misinterpreted by some paranoid Bostonians or extremely irresponsible on the part of Interface, Inc. This debacle is just another example of how even the best marketing plans can go astray in the execution.

Adam Hanft, CEO of marketing/advertising firm Hanft Unlimited, described the Cartoon Network stunt as an act of "marketing terrorists," who blur the line between dangerously cool and just dangerous.