Stunt Bad for Marketing

BRANDWEEK did a follow-up story the other day about the infamous stunt pulled by Cartoon Network to promote its Aqua Teen Hunger Force. The pub wanted to see what impact, if any, the bomb hoax had on the business of guerrilla marketing.

Early reports after the Jan. 31 hysteria had many speculating marketers would seer clear of this big-bang/small bucks school of buzz building. After all, Cartoon Network gm/evp Jim Samples resigned; parent company Turner Broadcasting and guerrilla agency Interference agreed to pay $1 million in compensation to Massachusetts and another $1 million to support federal homeland security.

"The smarter clients I spoke to [realized] that a $2 million fine equals $120 million in publicity," said Peter Shankman, president of New York-based pr/marketing agency The Geek Factory. "They said, 'Just get the damn permits first!'"

Drew Neisser, president of the New York integrated marketing agency Renegade Marketing, said the incident "really heightened awareness of nontraditional marketing. The irony was people were saying, 'I want that.'"

The stunt and subsequent negative publicity may very well have created some short-term gains and heightened awareness of the power of guerrilla marketing. But it pissed off an entire city and touched a nerve with politicos. I still contend it was incredibly stupid considering post-9/11 America.

Several months after circuit boards with LED lights in the shape of a Mooninite caused the closing of major subway lines and roadways in Boston, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass. co-wrote and introduced the "Terrorist Hoax Improvements Act of 2007." The bill will amend the federal criminal code to include a number of new clauses meant to up the ante on wasting government resources. Provisions in the bill would allow the government to take civil action against parties involved in perceived hoaxes if they fail to "promptly and reasonably inform one or more parties... of the actual nature of the activity" once they learn about investigative action taking place. In the case of Boston, this means that everyone involved could be sued for not immediately informing the police of the campaign upon receiving news of the emergency reaction.

Talk about making an impact on the guerrilla marketing world. Not exactly what Interference had in mind I bet.

Social Video 101

We've tagged social video as "one of the important drivers for the next major growth in brand advertising." But where's the magic? Why are so many carefully targeted, big-money entries in the genre DOA, while shiny bits of DIY genius signifying not much of anything barge into our social consciousness and take up residence?

LA-based Feed Company answers these and other troubling questions of our time in Social Video 101, A Primer. A must-read for viral aspirants with paychecks. 

A Ballsy Move Reveals a Full Optical Inch!

Tribal DDB (Omnicom Group Inc.) takes Philips Norelco and male maintenance into hysterically delicate terrain with this fabulously bold, interactive live-action viral. In it, a vaguely smarmy, bath-robed spokesman is selling the Bodygroom, a modified shaver made exclusively for men and their furry underarms, backs, and undercarriage. He speaks frankly of removing that unsightly chinchilla from one's naughty man-bits and promises men that the Bodygroom is "the convenient, easy, gentle way to make your genitals bloom."

PR firm Manning Selvage & Lee helped drive traffic  via Howard Stern's  satellite radio program. Viral capacity as of 12 December: 1.8 million unique viewers.

Check it: ShaveEverywhere. Click through the menu and be sure to watch the musical ode to clean-shaven fruit.

(I'll always love Bruce Campbell, but this takes manly shtick and flagrant innuendo to a spectacular level.)

Thanks be to Bob for the link!

Do Your Own Adventure! with crunk-loving Granny Teller

While it's tagged with "Promotional considerations by Mountain Dew," no one seems to know whether "Do Your Own Adventure! with Sue Teller" is a corporate-sponsored video or consumer-generated fideo series. Whatever! This is brand entertainment at its best. Enjoy Granny Teller's mash-up how-to, and her "sweet-ass technique" on customizing a crisp pair of kicks. Before we get our freak on, can I get a hell-sa?

Guerrilla Marketing Becomes PR Nightmare

BKG has a guiding principle that is reminiscent of one of the basic tenets of the the Hippocratic Oath... do no harm. That's exactly what happened yesterday in Boston when a guerrilla marketing campaign promoting the late-night Adult Swim cartoon "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" went horribly awry. Magnetic lights placed throughout Boston were seen as potential threats by authorities who called out bomb squads to explode the suspicious devices. They also shut down major roadways and subway lines to deal with the situation.

Considering the post 9/11 atmosphere in America and the very real threat of terrorism, how anyone believed this was a good idea is totally beyond me. Sure the stunt created buzz, but how damaging to Turner Broadcasting's reputation is the end result? Was it really worth it? NO!!

I contend it all could have been avoided if only the PR pros had been in the loop. I preach regularly about how critical it is for the public relations hand to know what the marketing hand is doing. The PR execs at Turner Broadcasting should have put the brakes on this bone-head marketing move. Instead, they are in crisis mode scrambling to repair th e damage. The trite apology issued yesterday incensed Boston's mayor and police commissioner. They are out for blood and will attempt to extract a pound of flesh from Turner and the responsible ad agency through the courts. Two of the creatives behind the campaign have already been arrested.

As for Interference Inc., the New York City advertising agency that came up with the hair-brain plan, they had "No Comment." And all of us PR practitioners know how that's perceived... GUILTY!

Life Comes At You Fast, Indeed!

Well, filing this one under the Culture heading might be abusing the point, but Yo! You have to give Fed-X points for having the gonads to laugh at himself. Will it score the hits that Britney's latest photo spread (yes, that spread) garnered? Enquiring minds want to know!

Viral Capacity: Just released this afternoon, Kevin Federline's new spot for Nationwide has already received 900 hits.

Where the hell is Matt?

Once upon a time, a nice man named Matt quit his job and set out to dance around the world. In fact, he danced everywhere he went and recorded it on his camera. After catching Matt's unusual video journal of his travels, the equally nice people of Stride Gum offered to sponsor his second dance around the planet.

Simple and beautiful and joyful and, yes, nice, the video of Matt's second journey is edited to Garry Schyman's instrumental accompaniment to a traditional lullaby, Rorogwela, performed by Afunakwa, a young singer from the Solomon Islands.

Viral capacity: 4.5 million viewers to date on YouTube alone.

Thanks be to Bob for the link!

Agitates! Lifts! Enlightens! Motivates bowels!

Really, what speed freak among us hasn’t dreamed of bellying up to the barista and ordering a steaming hot cup of biker’s coffee? But where’s a heavy biter on the nod gonna find a whole bean chemical-assist with enough brain-shift to slake a serious morning Jones? From San Francisco’s newest purveyor of roasted buzz, Meth Coffee. This ain’t no Lipton Tea we’re talking about, but full-on eye-opener in a cup, “the original medicinal coffee ratio for gyrotonic stimulation.”

From www.methcoffee.com: “METH COFFEE, a volatitherapeutic beverage, is formulated after chemical confetti and wakes zombies, fucks with perfectionists, straightens drunks, rattles teetotalers, revs vandals in search of impetus, brightens house chores and CUTS BOREDOM LIKE A GODDAMN RAZOR.”

We be zoomin’ permafried, baby!

Look Ma! I'm an Elf!

Office Max has a viral campaign for the Christmas season: Elf Yourself. Don't mind if I do. Yes, that's me. Hat tip to Micro Persuasion.

Joke's On Us. Again.

Nothing like a little poke in the eye to take the mustard out of people who take themselves way too seriously.

That'd be you and me.

Funny it took four months AAC (after agency.com) for this to come out, but it's hilariously on target today. Via American Copywriter via Risley Ranch.

Reminded me of this gem, which is four or five years old — and timeless. God, we're easy targets.