• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, February 1, 2007

What value can you put on a marketing promotion that goes wrong? I mean, really wrong. Wrong enough where city bomb squads and the Department of Homeland Security gets involved.

You might say no money is worth that, especially if lives were at stake. You might say it was inappropriate or dangerous. Perhaps others may be a tad more positive, calling it edgy or even daring.

The Cartoon Network was behind one of these marketing efforts, an ill-advised promotion touting an upcoming theatrical film based on its late night, Adult-Swim-programming-block animated series  "Aqua Teen Hunger Force." As part of a "street" marketing effort, stealthy-looking devices attached to electronic circuitry that seemingly resembled parts of a bomb were placed in a number of cities around the country. 

And yes, the stunt ultimately did its job: getting attention. It caused havoc in Boston, with roads and bridges being closed down. A third-party marketing agency was involved -- Interference Inc., known for its guerilla marketing efforts. It couldn't be reached by reporters yesterday.

You can bet that future business at Interference will slow down somewhat. Then again, you can also bet some enterprising executive for an edgy cable network market might consider Interference down the road. In this disparate, fractionalized entertainment world, everyone needs a marketing edge. Perhaps the company just needs to be pulled back a bit. Like it or not, planned or not, Interference just gave Cartoon Network big spin.

Terrorism isn't to be fooled with -- not even for edgy, teen-oriented entertainment TV shows and films. Turner has ordered Interference to remove all its marketing props, and federal officials note they will still need to track down all the "devices" in other markets -- New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Seattle, Portland, Ore., Austin, Texas, San Francisco and Philadelphia.

Of course, it's not just the third-party marketing company that made a wrong choice. Cartoon Network marketing executives are obviously on the hook here as well. 

The question is how to go ahead. Perhaps to its core audience -- teens and young adults - the promotion gave the series an even bigger, more daring cachet. On Cartoon Network's discussion board about the show, many fans wondered why Time Warner apologized.

Did the marketing do its ultimate job? If theatrical box office tracking surveys on the movie gets a nice bump in the coming weeks, you'll know what -- and whom -- to blame.

No collateral damage -- just collateral benefits.