• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, February 1, 2007

In an example of the risks associated with viral advertising in public spaces, an outdoor campaign by Turner Broadcasting to promote the Cartoon Network's late-night cult hit "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" triggered bomb scares and the closing of two bridges in Boston on Wednesday. Boston residents reported long traffic jams and mass transit delays as police crews searched for explosives. The police also closed the Charles River to boat traffic. Officials say the Pentagon was alerted, and the U.S. Northern Command was monitoring the situation from its headquarters in Colorado Springs.

The enigmatic roadside signs showed LED images of a Mooninite--an alien delinquent from the show's rotating cast of whimsical and depraved monsters--giving drivers the middle finger. Alarmed members of the public who were not privy to the joke phoned the police, who sent bomb squads to nine locations. The campaign appeared in ten cities, also including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Seattle, Portland, Austin, San Francisco, and Philadelphia. However, only Boston saw police action.

Turner Broadcasting released a statement that read in part: "We apologize to the citizens of Boston that part of a marketing campaign was mistaken for a public danger." Turner said it had "directed the third-party marketing firm who posted the advertisements to take them down immediately."

Congressman Ed Markey released a short, scathing statement slamming the guerrilla marketing campaign: "Scaring an entire region, tying up the T and major roadways, and forcing first responders to spend 12 hours chasing down trinkets instead of terrorists is marketing run amok. It would be hard to dream up a more appalling publicity stunt. Whoever thought this up needs to find another job." CNN quoted Boston police spokeswoman Elaine Driscoll as calling the event "a colossal waste of money."