newsflash: Boston Police scared of lights, cartoons, middle fingers

This would be hilarious, if the Mayor, State Attorney General, Police Chief and Governor weren't so insane. I don't even watch the show, and I recognize these things are cartoon characters. Not only did they hideously over-react, but it took them a week to notice these billboards in the first place. Pathetic Mass-holes.

[www.washingtonpost.com]
[thelede.blogs.nytimes.com]
[news.bbc.co.uk]

The BPD clearly overreacted, but the "clearly a joke" ads had batteries and wires sticking out of them and at least one was affixed to a bridge abutment. If the police aren't supposed to treat that like a bomb just because it has a funny picture on it, I think that the funny-picture-bomb is going to be the Next Big Thing at TerrorCon2007.

To me, the big problem isn't police overreaction; the problems are (1) viral marketing in general, which turns everyone and everything into advertising and (2) that the artist who posted the ads was arrested for "causing panic" or some bullshit but the agency and the client who commissioned the ad have not been.

I wrote about it here and you can read more about the background here and here.

To see the art project that the campaign was inspired by, go here.

Don't get me wrong, I think the police should treat anything called in as a potential bomb as a bomb threat, but charging these two guys with placing 'hoax bombs' on the bridge is bull shit. They didn't intend for them to create panic, they intended for them to increase DVD sales or adult swim viewership. The charges have totally been brought on these guys because the powers that be are embarrassed that they reacted stupidly, and clearly intend to cover it with bluster. Ugarte, you are right that they should be pissed at TBS and Cartoon Network, not their employees.

ugarte
To me, the big problem isn't police overreaction; the problems are (1) viral marketing in general, which turns everyone and everything into advertising and (2) that the artist who posted the ads was arrested for "causing panic" or some bullshit but the agency and the client who commissioned the ad have not been.

I'm not quiet sure how this qualifies as viral marketing, as it is a public billboard, with a copyrighted character on it; not a webpage or youtube video purporting to be amateur when in fact its professionally created. I'm also not quiet sure what the problem with viral marketing is, as so long as it stays out of my text message and email inbox. There is too much advertising out there, but viral marketing is still more interesting and less annoying than those fucking Fuccillo commercials. Its gonna be H-U-G-E!

Ben Rocky 04
I'm not quiet sure how this qualifies as viral marketing, as it is a public billboard

It isn't a public billboard (a different kind of advertising assault that we have mostly given in to); it is the commandeering of a public space. The message is deliberately inscrutible to those who don't know ATHF so that they will talk about the "funny robot flipping off the world" or seek out more information. It is not an advertisement to most of the people who see it until they realize that Ur is, in fact, a copyrighted cartoon character.

Webpages and youtube videos are viral media in pure form - people passing around cool stuff. It didn't take long for advertisirs to tap into that sense of fun and so you end up with underground advertising like this (or the fake PSP site or the Volkswagen car bomb or the subservient chicken).

I'm also not quiet sure what the problem with viral marketing is, as so long as it stays out of my text message and email inbox. There is too much advertising out there, but viral marketing is still more interesting and less annoying than those fucking Fuccillo commercials.

I'm not sure why you are OK with it taking over public spaces but not your email inbox. Both are intrusions into your lives done without your consent (or even ability to not consent). Viral marketing turns the world against you, taking everything you like and turning it into an advertisement. Most advertising is explicit so its message can become white noise. It is not a positive development that advertising is forcing itself deeper into our brains no matter how cool the individual ad is.

ugarte
Webpages and youtube videos are viral media in pure form - people passing around cool stuff. It didn't take long for advertisirs to tap into that sense of fun and so you end up with underground advertising like this (or the fake PSP site or the Volkswagen car bomb or the subservient chicken).

And this one:

[www.post-gazette.com]

RichH
And this one: [www.post-gazette.com]

Oh shit, I was totally fooled by that. I guess I'm not gonna buy Vista for my Powerbook G4 now that I found out I've been tricked.....

ugarte
I'm not sure why you are OK with it taking over public spaces but not your email inbox. Both are intrusions into your lives done without your consent (or even ability to not consent). Viral marketing turns the world against you, taking everything you like and turning it into an advertisement. Most advertising is explicit so its message can become white noise. It is not a positive development that advertising is forcing itself deeper into our brains no matter how cool the individual ad is.

Viral marketing is probably just as (in)effective on anyone with half a brain as a normal advertisement with a talking gecko or fat guy screaming 'HUGE" is. If its less boring or annoying than a normal commercial, then I'm all for it. Now, advertisements intruding into personal space or things I've paid for (text messages, palm cards stuck into books I buy, advertisements on my coffee cup, those ads in movie theaters before a film begins), thats not cool. I don't think I'm going to be able to make any headway with my minor annoyance/anger with more conventional advertisements on the side of Metro trains, inside magazines or on billboards along highways. They're just a part of capitalism, and I'm not going to be able to do anything about them, but I'm capable of zoning them out.

Ben Rocky 04
...or fat guy screaming 'HUGE" is.

Fucillo sure as Hell isn't very creative. Those ads were annoying enough 10 years ago that I made up my mind to never buy a car there. Knowing that they are still doing the same stupid thing only confirms it. I don't care how good of a selection or how low the prices are.

I don't agree with ugarte's apparent intense dislike for viral marketing. I'm not saying I'm a fan, but I don't consider it a personal or public invasion of space.

I do think that the Boston authorities were overreacting - and probably out of anger - in keeping the guys in jail overnight. I do think criminal charges aren't justified, as they were just stupid, not malicious.


However, I do think that they, and the advertising firm that hired then, and Turner Broadcasting who had the final say over these things, were negligent and stupid in installing electronic devices around a big city without notifying the authorities. *Especially* given that it was installed, in many places, on structural support beams of majority cities.

I think the people of Boston did exactly the right thing in supporting something suspicious, and the authorities did the right thing by investigating. Ugarte is exactly right that if we pretend that a bomb can't have colorful lights, then we're just opened the next big terrorists loophole. I'd much rather see 100 phony things reported than one real one not.

And I don't think its out of line to ask for their money back for Turner 'n' companies negligence in making sure the authorities were aware.

And remember, Ben, you can't yell at me... you met me in person

DeltaOne81
And I don't think its out of line to ask for their money back for Turner 'n' companies negligence in making sure the authorities were aware.

What's a 30-second spot during the Superbowl? $2.5 Million? ATHF's name and logo was just on every news outlet for over a day. Paying Boston $750k for their troubles seems like a bargain.

Ben Rocky 04
Viral marketing is probably just as (in)effective on anyone with half a brain as a normal advertisement with a talking gecko or fat guy screaming 'HUGE" is.

I'll simply say that you don't understand how advertising works or notice how effective it is on you. Advertising works on people smart and dumb and viral marketing is often designed to work on people who pat themselves on the back about how immune they are to advertisers.

RichH

DeltaOne81
And I don't think its out of line to ask for their money back for Turner 'n' companies negligence in making sure the authorities were aware.

What's a 30-second spot during the Superbowl? $2.5 Million? ATHF's name and logo was just on every news outlet for over a day. Paying Boston $750k for their troubles seems like a bargain.

Fine, as long as its not my money.

-Fred
Mass resident

ugarte
I'll simply say that you don't understand how advertising works or notice how effective it is on you. Advertising works on people smart and dumb and viral marketing is often designed to work on people who pat themselves on the back about how immune they are to advertisers.

Oh my god, you're right. Excuse me, I must go watch Aqua Teen Hunger Force for 96 hours straight. Can someone txt me with the hockey scores, because I'll too busy watching Adult Swim? Thanks!

Ben Rocky 04
Don't get me wrong, I think the police should treat anything called in as a potential bomb as a bomb threat, but charging these two guys with placing 'hoax bombs' on the bridge is bull shit. They didn't intend for them to create panic, they intended for them to increase DVD sales or adult swim viewership. The charges have totally been brought on these guys because the powers that be are embarrassed that they reacted stupidly, and clearly intend to cover it with bluster. Ugarte, you are right that they should be pissed at TBS and Cartoon Network, not their employees.

Thye should drop all charges against the two guys who placed the devices. They're just innocent artists who took on a job and did it with no intent to cause any harm or panic. As for the exec at the marketing firm, Interference Inc., who knew what was going on, and 5 hours into the scare sent an e-mail to one of the artists to keep it quiet, cut off his balls and burn him at the stake!

[www.urbandictionary.com]

If anyone didn't hear, Turner agreed to reimburse the city of Boston and the state of Mass for their costs. Good news. Move along now