(Promo) It’s every marketer’s worst nightmare: a promotion gone terribly wrong.
Time Warner’s Turner Broadcasting System learned some hard lessons about post-Sept. 11 marketing in January when it ran a street campaign that turned into a bomb scare in Boston. The problem? People mistook the blinking circuit-like boards erected on bridges and other infrastructure for bombs.
The stunt was designed to promote Cartoon Network’s Aqua Teen Hunger Force TV show, part of the network’s late-night adult programming. Instead, it shut down the city and raised fears about terrorism. The campaign, which was virtually unnoticed in nine other markets, created chaos for all involved — including Interference, the agency that ran it, and two men who help execute the campaign.
Peter Berdovsky, 27, and Sean Stevens, 28, are due back in court this month on charges of placing a hoax device and disorderly conduct.
Jim Samples took the fall for Cartoon Network. The former executive vice president and general manager resigned last month.
And the flap is far from over. At press time, Dr. Pepper scrapped a promotion after Boston officials wouldn’t allow treasure-hunt in the historic Granary Burying Ground. Sources both in and out of the industry are questioning the value of guerrilla marketing (seen by many consumers as mischief or nuisance marketing.)
“Clients will shy away from guerrilla for the short term,” says Martin Bihl creative director for the 7419 agency, who formerly worked with Renegade Marketing Group. “The Boston experience speaks to their worst fears about guerrilla — that at best it’s annoying and at worst it’s ignored, and that some unforeseen things happen as a result of it.”
With that in mind, “Promo” spoke with several industry experts to determine what went wrong, how to avoid it and what to do if you get nailed.
Just how do you handle damage control?
First, implement your crisis communications plan. Look at the strategy that outlines how you will respond to a difficult public situation. The plan should spell everything out, specify internal roles, key external contacts and general rules of the road.
When done well, a plan addresses every imaginable issue that may arise, says Liane Adduci Urevig, principal, AD Public Relations, Chicago.
Second, respond quickly and set the tone, says Bill Keegan, executive vice president/director of the U.S. Crisis and Issues Management Practice for Edelman Public Relations. The first 24 hours are critical, he says. A slow response could do more damage to your brand.
“How you react to things is a huge brand credibility builder,” echoes Tom Galbreath, senior vice president, executive creative director, The Marketing Store. “Sometimes, the way you react to things is more important than how you act” before the promotion begins.
Third, accept responsibility and never point fingers. It will cast a poor light in consumers’ eyes. What’s more, experts say be truthful and honest. Agencies should work with clients on solutions to dispel rumors and offer answers.
What’s more, demonstrate empathy. Show you understand what happened and any harm that might have been caused, Urevig says. Also, explain how you are going to remedy the situation and how you are going to prevent it from happening again.
“The ultimate goal is to put it behind you so that you move on,” says Brad Drew, principal, AD Public Relations, Chicago. “If you find the situation is impossible and you are unable to do it, it probably means there is more communications work to be done.”
And if the unthinkable happens, don’t disappear.
“The worst thing to do following a crisis is to hide,” says Urevig.
Interference says it didn’t hide right after the incident. Instead of talking, the agency worked with city officials to alert them to light board locations. It let Turner, its client, handle the public damage control.
“Turner is our client,” Sam Ewen, CEO, Interference, Inc. told PROMO. “We were doing everything we could to support them in their desire to help the situation.”
Nevertheless, the agency’s Web site was down after the episode and some critics said that Ewen should been quicker to make a statement.
The agency had a communications plan in place, but Ewen, wouldn’t go into details about it.
“You always have to have some plan in place and you always have the right protocols on how to deal with that plan,” Ewen says. “For fortunate and unfortunate reasons, we now, I guess, are experts in that.”
Assessing the risks
How can brands avoid a sticky situation? By assessing vulnerabilities and developing a checklist of worst-case scenarios.
“For all events, we have a two- to three-day training program and do a dry run,” says Craig Goldstein, chief operations officer, Universal Consulting Group. “It’s important we go through a run of show before the actual event to catch things.”
“You got to have a Plan B or backup if you are going guerrilla,” says Matthew Glass, CEO, Grand Central Marketing, New York. “You have to be as creative in your approach and potential responses as in your initial idea. Step back and say, ‘What’s the worse thing that can happen?’ There’s that risk assessment that has to come into play.”
If agencies are unsure after reviewing local laws and regulations, they should review potential drawbacks. Decide if it is worth the risk.
“Some clients are prepared to really push the envelope and welcome the controversy that might arise from a particular approach,” says Drew Nessier, CEO of Renegade Marketing Group. “Other clients are far more conservative and the creative strategy would reflect that conservatism. Agencies need to clearly identify the risks associated with a particular guerrilla program and the client needs to be completely comfortable with those risks.”
With any campaign, it’s best to review local laws, says Joseph Lewczak, a partner at Davis & Gilbert LLP, New York. That includes everything from restrictions on wild postings, graffiti and littering to criminal trespass problems.
In Turner’s case, people were surprised the stunt reached the street. The company says Cartoon Network’s marketing department devised the campaign, while Interference handled its execution.
“I have no idea how this got through,” says Kevin Glennon, creative director, The Office of Kevin Glennon. “The campaign was ill-thought out.”
Yet, predictions will carry marketers only so far. “Sometimes you just can’t anticipate everything,” Lewczak says. “Interference may have done everything right, but at the end of the day, there was a horrible backfire.”
To gain attention, some marketers may push the envelope and create a perceived crisis to boost their brand.
“These days, sensational controversy often leads the news,” AD Public Relation’s Drew says. “In an effort to break through, some brands have strategically sparked seemingly harmless public controversies to guarantee a place in editorial coverage and water cooler banter. “The danger, however, is that once the fire is stoked in the public domain, it’s essentially out of anyone’s control. It can easily burn brighter and spread faster than ever intended.”
The fallout factor
The Boston City Council is investigating further regulations on guerrilla marketing. Members last month ordered a hearing to explore the issue, including restructuring fines and the permitting process.
The council also wants to involve the Federal Communications Commission. It has filed a resolution, calling on state congressional leaders to urge the agency to investigate marketing practices of broadcast outlets.
And the Boston campaign may push other cities to step up enforcement of guerrilla campaigns. Los Angeles and other major markets already have local ordinances prohibiting the placement of signs and handbills on city property. But those laws are only as good as the enforcement.
“Obviously, there’s been a lot of lax enforcement of these laws,” Lewczak says. “With the Turner incident, you’re likely to see increased activity from local law enforcement.”
The problem? Customers thought the devices, red plastic box with wires protruding from them, were bombs.
The Boston two
Despite their arrest, Berdovsky and Stevens made light of the incident. At a press conference this month after the two made bail, the artists used the time to joke about hairstyles from the 1970s. They avoided the issue at hand, and they’re still keeping quiet about it.
Berdovsky last month spoke to “Promo.” He wouldn’t discuss his work for Interference or the Boston incident, but says he would consider doing future work for brands or agencies.
“I am always looking for collaboration,” he says. “If something hits me in the right way, I’ll go with it. I am very much open to anything that comes my way.”
Berdovsky runs a small business doing light video projection work for nightclubs and editing video. His true passion? Doing live multiscreen, surround-sound video performances. Last fall, he did some light video mixing work for a major beverage brand, remixing commercials with visuals to showcase on nightclubs screens.
Stevens runs a company called Modern Mac Repair, doing Macintosh consulting for businesses and artists, according to his Website.
Insurance considerations
As a result of the botched Turner campaign, insurance costs may rise, or at the very least, policies may be under rigorous examination.
Universal Consulting Group, a Boston area agency, says some underwriters now show no interest in issuing policies for special promotions.
“Insurance companies are afraid now because of the exposure this case now brings,” Goldstein, says. “We feel we are going to be persecuted for that one event.” What’s more likely is that underwriters are being more cautious, explains Jeff Elble, vice president, sales and marketing, Paul Goebel Group.
“For most agencies, you may see increased amounts of scrutiny,” he says. “But I don’t think it will mean agencies will have trouble getting insurance.”
To lure marketers back in the water, agencies say it may take some convincing.
“Guerrilla marketing is probably a bad word now,” says John Palumbo, founder/CEO of Big Heads Network and former president of DVC Worldwide’s experiential division.
Was the Cartoon Network campaign worth it in the end? Aqua Teen Hunger Force ratings were relatively flat the week of the incident. The show drew about 386,000 viewers 18-to-24-year-olds when the stunt around the show hit the news, according to Nielsen Media Research. About 380,000 people tuned in the previous week.
But some say that Turner will win in the end. “This incident in terms of measurable media is going to far exceed a Super Bowl ad,” Goldstein says. “An incredible amount of publicity was generated by it. Publicity was publicity.”
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