Cartoon Network bombs a publicity stunt

On January 30, 2007, cable news networks interrupted regular programming with bulletins that bombs had reportedly been planted “ all over Boston.” Bomb squads were called in. Bridges and highways were shut down.

As it turned out, the more than three dozen devices around the city were harmless, blinking electronic boards depicting a boxy cartoon character, the star of the Cartoon Network’s new Aqua Teen Hunger Force. The faux bomb scare was intended as a harmless publicity stunt.

http://www.bostonhassle.com

But Boston authorities weren’t laughing. The police immediately arrested the two nitwits who planted the devices.

As a public relations director for Cartoon Network, I would have never allowed this type of publicity stunt to go on. I believe that if any thought had went into the campaign, the agency could have anticipated this reaction. Because of the 9/11 attacks in Washington D.C., you can be detained for having using a laser pointer, for Pete’s sake.

I cannot believe that Cartoon Network did not foresee the major problem with this plan. Instead of plating bombs they could have created statues of the character, approved by the city first of course. What advertising agency wouldn’t think to mention to officials that they would be planting devices around the city?

This type of public relations disaster is unacceptable. The stunt made Turner Broadcasting look ignorant, and the $2 million compensation for planting the devices surely set back the agency. Not to mention the overall annoyance of those who lived in Boston who were unable to move around their own city.

However, I am glad that Turner Broadcasting and its advertising agency agreed to pay the compensation fee for shutting down the whole city. This was a good reaction after the disaster. In addition, two days after that, the president of Cartoon Network, a 13-year veteran of the company, tendered his resignation, saying, in part, “ I feel compelled to step down . . . in recognition of the gravity of the situation that occurred under my watch and to put this chapter behind us.”

This was another good reaction, but it probably did nothing to remedy the situation. I’m sure everyone was still busy talking about the fake bombs rather than the rightful resignation.

I believe that both Cartoon Network and Turner Broadcasting could also have made formal apologies to both officials and the city.