Lite-Brite Advertisements Spark a Fire: Or in this Case a Resignation

This week, instead of sharing some of my own thoughts, I decided to look into the blogosphere and see what people were buzzing about. A big story in the media field that just broke, was the resignation of Jim Samples, head of the Cartoon Network, over the marketing ploy that caused chaos in Boston last week. The story began when Boston authorities mistook the guerilla marketing campaign for a bomb threat on January 31. The Lite-Brite-like advertisements (shown in day time to the left and below at night) were promoting the Adult Swim show Aqua Teen Hunger Force but the blinking electronic devices and circuit boards with wires sparked fear and the city nearly came to a standstill. Turner Broadcasting agreed to pay two million dollars in compensation for the problems they caused in Boston. Bloggers were all over the story, some arguing that Boston’s hysterics were unmerited as the same ads were placed in ten other cities without any problems, while others took the position that in a post 9/11 world, the advertisers had to know the ads could spark controversy and deserve all the bad publicity. However, when Jim Samples stepped down just days ago, the whole controversy exploded again. Wading through all the commentary, I found two very interesting blogs on this subject that offer interesting insight. In Hang Right Politics, blogger Kathy argues that it was Sample’s responsibility for approving such a stupid advertising campaign and he should take the heat of the fall. Other bloggers, like Justin Gardner on Donkelephant, claim that Samples should not have had to resign for this paranoid mistake on the part of Boston and that he is taking the brunt of the fallout when there are others more at fault. What follows are the comments I left in response to these two blogs, offering my insight into the situation.

My comments to Hang Right Politics: Well, I’m not sure that nobody is laughing, but Sample sure isn’t. Any smart advertiser or head of a network should have foreseen that these devices could be mistaken for bombs and spark concern. Black boxes with wires and circuits are not a typical advertising outlet, and in fact do resemble bombs. This coupled with the state of terrorism paranoia in this country is a recipe for disaster and someone should have foreseen what could happen. Samples approved the ads and as head on the network, it is his duty to assume full responsibility. His resignation was a strategic and effective move because Mayor Menino and the people of Boston feel that Turner has now taken full responsibility for their actions and Boston authorities will not continue to make a big deal out of this creating more negative publicity. This case is interesting to consider from a publicity perspective and begs the classic question; is there such a thing as bad publicity? In this case it has yet to be determined. While Turner Broadcasting and Cartoon Network may suffer from some fallout with investors, stockholders, and gain a public image of stupidity and irresponsible advertising, I think a lot of consumers see this as a case of corporate America trying to shut out creativity and will support Cartoon Networks bold choice. In any case, Aqua Teen Hunger Force and the Adult Swim program is sure to get a few more viewers just curious about the show that sparked this all.

My comments to Donkelephant: I think you make a very good point in asserting that Samples stepped down because Turner saw an easy way to make this whole issue fade away. Scapegoating is the quick way to make a “we” mistake into a “he” mistake. However, I have to disagree with your statement that Samples should have stayed to send the message that Boston was in the wrong, even if they did receive millions for compensation. Regardless of the fact that this was just one city of twenty, or that the ads went unnoticed for quite some time, the only fact that matters is that they did create problems in Boston. (Left is a police officer shown removing one of the ads). The question is not whether Boston overreacted or if the concern was even warranted, because it does not matter. The reality is that the lite-brite characters did cause widespread panic and a major city came to a screeching halt because of some stupid advertisements. So the real question becomes what to do to clean up the mess. The company needed to take full responsibility for damage control and image management. Samples resignation showed people that the company was seriously sorry for the trouble it caused. During crisis management, only one head has to go to the chopping block to take the public blame, unfortunately for Sample it was his.