Guerrilla Marketing Gone Right

So the hot topic right now is the supposed terror threat in Boston, that actually turned out to be a marketing campaign for Adult Swim's Aqua Teen Hunger Force.

So lemme get this straight. Someone saw one of these things:



So what did they think the Joker sent his henchmen out to plant these things all over Gotham as well as the greater Boston area? I heard about electronic devices being spread around and thought, of course I would think someone was planting a bomb, but then I saw what they looked like and thought, this is what made Boston freak out and close down an interstate. I understand being on the side of caution, but come on, did someone really think that terrorists took the time to be creative and come up with some sort of logo to match their terror?

I've read 5 different blogs that said that it was a guerrilla marketing stunt gone wrong. What are you kidding me? This is the most successful guerrilla marketing tactic this year. Who cares if they got arrested? The two guys who were hauled off in handcuffs certainly didn't. They were all smiles. Why? One, because they knew they did nothing wrong, and two, because IT WORKED!!!! People are blogging about it. The news is eating it up. And those that did not know who Aqua Teen Hunger Force was certainly know now. Are you telling me that Adult Swim isn't going to use this to their advantage? These are the same people who bring you ROBOT CHICKEN as well as a cartoon about a talking beverage and fries.

I will say this though. Boston sure does have their shit together when it comes to reacting to a possible terrorist threat. The two guys were released from custody today and Turner Broadcasting has made an official apology. But I'm fairly certain they ain't too sorry. Especially after we see a rise in ratings on Adult Swim.

And what about those 9 other cities where these things were planted? I'll say either we've got 9 cities that can take a joke, or 9 cities highly under prepared for a terrorist attack from a mooninite.

If you go to the Adult Swim Homepage, there is a posted apology. But if you're familiar with Adult Swim, it's kind of hard to read this without hearing a tone of sarcasm followed by a small chuckle.