The saga continues on the Turner Broadcasting/Cartoon Network guerrilla marketing campaign. In textbook PR fashion, Turner Broadcasting quickly apologized and offered full restitution to the city of Boston. Turner also took out full page ads in Boston newspapers apologizing. From what I can tell, the media is treating them kindly for their efforts.
On the other hand, Sean Stevens and Peter Berdovsky, who were charged with placing a hoax device that causes panic, told reporters they would answer questions only about hair in the '70's. The media did not understand why the two would not answer their questions and used terms like "odd rant" and "nonsensical discussion" to describe what happened.
The charge of "placing a hoax device that causes panic", which carries a maximum penalty of five years in jail, requires the prosecutor to prove that the two men had a reasonable expectation that the devices would cause a panic when placed. The judge at the arraignment seemed skeptical that their intent was anything other than advertising.
The media was bewildered by their statements, but I say brilliant. No perp walk for these guys. If they dodged questions and left the building with hoods over their heads, they would look like criminals in the best case and terrorists in the worst case. They faced the press and, according to their defense attorney, performed. They are graffiti/performance artists who by their very nature have chosen an anti-establishment lifestyle. The press conference showed that 1) they were performers, not terrorists causing panic, and 2) only the establishment feared their actions.
After the press conference, young Bostonians couldn't wait to condemn the actions of the police. One young person called the police reaction "silly and insane" and said that Boston was "the laughing stock" of the country.
Those young and in the know are laughing at the older generation. Sounds a bit like the '60s, doesn't it?
From a PR perspective, the big loser is Interference Inc., the guerrilla marketing agency who couldn't be reached for comment. According to reports, their offices are closed and the CEO can't be located. Also, CNN reported that an employee from the company called one of the graffitti artists right after the panic started and told him to keep quiet. A textbook example of what not to do in a PR crisis. Any guesses on whether their offices will ever reopen?
