Clap Your Hands Say Yeah: Love Song No. 7

The Big Boston Bomb Scare of 2006

Once again I'm sitting in Cafe Verite. I'm becoming quite the regular here. Tonight I had the Red Menace again (greatest cupcake on earth) and a tall double-shot Americano of which I'm becoming quite fond.

This week was quite exciting from a marketing perspective. We're in week two since the Vista launch and there's not much going on there except for Microsoft employees popping balloons with prizes inside. *Change Channel* Over here we have... oh! Global Warming exists, so says a new study. How is that related to marketing? It isn't; at least, not directly. It's a bit of a PR problem for some companies that pollute, but Exxon is attempting to position itself as Green (huh?) to precede a potential price fixing in 2006 (stay tuned...) and the biggest of all: Adult Swim grinds Boston to a halt!



At the arraignment of the two individuals accused of terrorizing Boston, Assistant Attorney General John Grossman stated that it was “clear that the intent was to get attention by causing fear and unrest that there was a bomb in that location” Now, I understand that Mr. Assistant Attorney General, emphasis on the first three letters of his title (ass), is likely not in the target demographic of those who watch Adult Swim. I also understand that the individuals in question caused a substantial and costly uproar. However, what I do not understand is the statement he made. As I read it over and over, I think How Ridiculous!

A few notes:

1: I work in marketing.
2: I enjoy grassroots and guerrilla marketing campaigns
3: I am part of the target demographic

I found this particular guerrilla campaign quite fascinating. Understanding and being part of the demographic, I speculate that the intent was not to create this level of frenzy (duh), but rather to build awareness and create buzz. That's the basis behind guerrilla campaigns. Buzz.

Here's how I see it: The target audience hones in on the recognizable figures, a demand develops for the rare items, awareness of Adult Swim is boosted. In those respects it succeeded. (I’m sure you’ll see some pop up on eBay in the coming weeks as souvenirs and pop culture trinkets. They'll likely be in higher demand now due to an elevated pop culture status, thanks to The Big Bad Boston Marketing Scare of 2006.)

Pop culture in an interesting animal those standing outside will never understand. Authorities are correct in correlating Orson Wells’ 1938 radio broadcast of “War of the Worlds” with the 2006 “Adult Swim” guerrilla campaign solely through the panic it caused. But was the radio broadcast intended to create panic? No, it just happened unexpectedly. In retrospect, it is easy to see why it created that panic, just as it is easy to see how the Adult Swim fiasco could create panic—but all in retrospect. It was not foreseen and it was not intended. Period.

States Grossman (again referencing the MSNBC article): “The appearance of this device and its location are crucial. This device looks like a bomb.” Again, this statement is misconstrued.

First, let us tackle the location. As a marketer and advertiser, the intent is to reach as many people as possible. The strategic placement of these so called “devices” was in locations where commuter traffic would be heavy specifically for the purpose of reach. This is a visual item, so they placed it in locations where it would be seen. Why place an advert where no one will see it? Now, would bombs be placed in a location for all to see? I think not. People who do that are going for the surprise factor.

Now, let’s discuss the appearance. I, for one, find it difficult to believe that a boxy shape giving someone the middle finger can be mistaken for a bomb rather than a slightly more advanced Lite Brite. Yeah, I haven’t seen a Lite Brite in a number of years… say, two decades; but that doesn’t mean I will automatically believe a more advanced one is sinister. I mean, it’s a milkshake flipping you off! What’s sinister about that? No wonder some “snickered” when Grossman made that statement. He obviously doesn’t understand this target demographic, which is necessary in this case.

Because this is a post about love, here’s the latest by a little band that took themselves out of the corporate foray, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah:

CYHSY: Love Song No. 7 (mp3)