Get Buzzed

If you’re like me, you have heard more than once that “any publicity is good publicity.” Well, don’t believe it. As the following example will show, negative publicity is NOT a good thing and it can hurt the company in a number of ways. The unfortunate part of all this is that negative publicity can often be a result of factors beyond the company’s control and for reasons that one might never anticipate. On the other hand, sometimes companies, through their own actions, create problems.

Let’s start with TBS. In an effort to promote its late night animated series Aqua Teen Hunger Force, TBS hired a guerrilla marketing agency to implement the plan, which was to place huge light boards that resembled a circuit board in various locations in 10 cities. The light boards displayed an image of a character from the show that would appear on Cartoon Network. Along with the plan was a list of do’s and don’ts of where to place them. In most cities, there were no apparent problems. I know, because I saw those weird, creepy looking boards on my way to Port Authority in New York City– and didn’t give it a second glance.

Unfortunately, when motorists in Boston spotted the odd-looking boxes, there was great concern that they might be a terrorist plot. Remember, NYC, Boston, Chicago and other major cities were still jittery from so many real and false threats. The result was 10 hours of chaos that disrupted traffic, closed bridges and put the city into terror alert mode. It was the largest ruckus ever created by a guerrilla marketing effort. Another problem was that the agency went to court, laughed it off and lampooned the press.

Unfortunately for TBS, it wasn’t a laughing matter. The company angered citizens and was responsible for over $1 million in retribution to Boston. While some believe it was an intentional hoax to stimulate buzz, getting national coverage for a million is worth it…they say. Most PR experts say it was a mistake.

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