(CNN)--
People are definitely talking about the "water youth hunger force", which is after a very wrong publicity stunt, but marketing experts say it's paralyzing a city and putting two people in court, not the best way to build a brand.
Peter Badowski and Sean Stevens allegedly placed the electronic board with the light
As part of a guerrilla campaign, cartoon characters in Boston, Massachusetts.
But the stunt backfired, triggering a bomb scare on Wednesday that led authorities to close the Boston University and the Longfellow Bridge and stop sea traffic from the Charles River to Boston Harbor. (
Watch the movement of placing the bomb squad on the edge)
Badowski and Stevens pleaded not guilty last week to placing prank devices and disrupting behavior.
Marketing experts say many companies are turning to unconventional marketing techniques to attract attention and break the clutter of traditional TV, radio and billboard ads.
"It's a risk when you want word of mouth, not all word of mouth is good word of mouth," Buzzmarketing said . ".
CEO Mark Hughes
"Some negative buzz will be good for you, but something like this is bad for you.
"According to Turner Broadcasting Systems, the devices feature a role called lunar satellites, which were installed in Boston and nine other cities two or three weeks ago
Shirley Powell, spokeswoman
She said 40 devices were placed in each city.
Turner is the parent company of The Cartoon Network that runs the show.
Turner is also the parent of CNN.
The company apologized for the panic. (Full story)
"On the one hand, you can define it as success, but I think it may be cross-border from the perspective of professional marketers and hot marketers, too much," Hughes said.
Hughes is known for convincing a small town to change its name to half. com, Oregon.
It may not be the biggest marketing slip he has ever seen, he said, but "it's in the top three. " (
Interaction: Unfortunate in marketing)
"I think that in any kind of marketing that has never been done, you always ask for forgiveness rather than permission.
However, you must know when you have crossed this line and you must know when you have gone too far, "he said.
Hughes said he canceled his book's marketing plan after 2005 London subway bombings.
"We are going to lay boulders on the sidewalk in Manhattan, and there will be a website address on the boulders ---
Very mysterious, "he said.
"Immediately after the London bombings, we decided not to do so because people naturally think, 'Gosh, is this a bomb or something harmful? '?
Carcarter, Atlanta, Georgia
Media based on guerrilla tactics say fans of the "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" show will recognize the character and think it's interesting, but others who see the logo won't get the joke.
"It could be a better setup for nightclubs and other types of scenes where the person receiving the information would know what this is about, but there are also two, he said: "I'm not afraid. "
"You know, if you put these in a specific environment, like the public space in this post --
9/11 sensitivity, then of course you will have trouble.
New York artist Steve Lambert says it's a mistake for advertisers to try to work together
Choose personal expression.
"They will never get things right," he said . "
Lambert is a member of an organization called the Graffiti Research Lab that shows artists and protesters how to use electronic products to spread their messages.
"Now, you have to pay thousands of dollars to get involved in public space, and even advertisers get cheap for that," he said . ".
"I mean, this campaign should be effective, underground, cost-
It works because it uses these methods instead of buying actual space or buying legitimate billboards.
"A project in the lab called LED Throwies uses tape, magnets, watch batteries and LED bulbs to make a small lamp that is glued to the metal surface.
The group used dozens of lights to write information and draw designs.
The pain is cheap and it's easy for anyone to make, apparently harmless, Lambert said.
But he said it was time.
It makes it difficult for them to produce on a large scale.
"What this marketing company is doing is making a production circuit board that has to be made, adding resistors, photocells, large batteries, wiring," he said, "it makes it more complex, because it needs to be efficient so they can produce a lot of products. ".
"That's why it eventually caught their attention.
What this person noticed was big batteries, wires, circuits.
Phillip Torrone, editor of Make magazine, said advertisers should use better judgment, but called the lunar satellite commission a "neat electronic project ".
The magazine and its website are featuredit-
Design and sell your own components for homemade MP3 players, iPod chargers suitable for mint tin and other electronics.
Altoid tin filled with batteries, wires, and boards may look suspicious, but Torrone says his readers don't have a lot of problems.
"In general, your personal e-enthusiasts will not attack a city through sports," he said . ".
"So that's why you didn't see a lot of manufacturers having trouble with homeland security or whatever,, such things that advertisers come in to accept such e-projects and promote throughout the city can cause problems. "CNN.
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At the press conference, one of the "moon stone" lights that caused panic was displayed.