Interference, Inc., the agency behind the Cartoon Network marketing stunt that prompted a citywide bomb scare in Boston last Wednesday, and its client, Turner Broadcasting System, issued public apologies Friday for the ruckus.
In a statement released on its Web site, Interference said it didn’t intend for the stunt to cause harm.
“We at Interference, Inc. regret that our efforts on behalf of our client contributed to the disruption in Boston and certainly apologize to anyone who endured any hardship as a result,” the statement said. “Nothing undertaken by our firm in any way intended to cause anxiety, fear or discomfort to anyone. We are working with Turner Broadcasting and appropriate law enforcement and municipal authorities to provide information as requested and take other appropriate actions.”
Interference CEO Sam Ewen could not be reached for comment Friday. The agency also does work for Clorox, Discovery Channel, Fila, G.E., Godiva, HBO, MTV and Sony Ericsson.
Also Friday, Phil Kent, chairman and CEO of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., apologized for the “the confusion and inconvenience” the stunt caused through a full-page ad in Boston newspapers. The company’s letter acknowledged it is taking responsibility for the incident.
“We never intended this outcome and certainly did not set out to perpetrate a hoax,” Kent said in the letter. “What we did is inadvertently cause a great American city to deal with the unintended impact of this marketing campaign. For this, we are deeply sorry.”
“Our focus today and in the days ahead is on demonstrating to you the sincerity of our desire to do what is right,” the letter said. “What happened in Boston is a humbling reminder that reputation is something we earn every day. We are working to regain your respect.”
Calls seeking additional comment from Turner were not returned.
The comments come as the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office continues its investigation into the incident, in which it is seeking upwards of $750,000 in restitution against Turner Broadcasting for fees the city incurred responding to what it believed was a terrorist threat (PROMO Xtra, Feb. 1, 2007). Boston Police Department fees alone are estimated at $150,000, a spokesperson for Mayor Thomas Menino said.
The Boston police alerted several agencies to handle the situation. Among them were the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S Secret Service, Massachusetts State Police, Federal Park Police, Transit Police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
As of Friday, Boston officials were still working toward a resolution on recovering costs related to the security scare, a spokesperson for the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office said. State officials are also investigating whether or not to pursue legal action.
Turner hired New York-based Interference to execute the guerilla marketing campaign to promote the Cartoon Network show Aqua Teen Hunger Force. The stunt included placing several small, electric signs in 10 cities last month. The agency selected the locations to place the boards, Turner said.
The blinking 12-by-14-inch devices, which resembled a circuit board, had wires, batteries and magnets protruding from them. It featured a character from the adult cartoon raising its middle finger. Those components made them look like bombs, triggering calls to Boston police, city officials said.
Last Wednesday, police shut down a highway and called in the bomb squad, throwing the city into a panic. The stunt resulted in the arrests of two men Interference hired to place the light boards in Boston.
Peter Berdovsky, 27, of Arlington, MA, and Sean Stevens, 28, of Charlestown, MA, were charged Wednesday with one count each of placing a hoax device and disorderly conduct. A Charlestown District Court judge ordered Berdovsky to surrender his passport, the Massachusetts Attorney General’s office said. Both men were released Thursday on $2,500 bonds after pleading not guilty and are due back in court on March 7.
After their release, the two suspects met with reporters, who questioned them on their role. The men, who were advised by their lawyers not to talk about the incident, instead joked about their hair and hairstyles from the 1970s, saying they would only answer reporters’ questions about hair.
Yet, Berdovsky released a statement later, saying, “I regret that this incident has created such anguish and disruption for the residents and law enforcement officers of this city. I certainly never intended to do anything to frighten this community, which has welcomed and nurtured me for 10 years.”
Meanwhile, news of the marketing fiasco has played out on social networking sites like YouTube. Some people have made videos of their own response to the marketing fiasco. Others are adding comments to the videos themselves, including footage of recent TV news coverage of the incident. The response to those videos was mixed.
One viewer wrote, “Has anyone heard of Viral Advertising? Geez.” Another wrote, “Well, with something this terrifying you can understand the panic.”
Visitors can see exactly how the light boards were erected in Boston. YouTube has video showing the men putting up the displays at YouTube.com/watch?v=doD_VpT_yAY. As of Friday, people had viewed the clips more than 38,000 times since they first appeared on Thursday.
Interference reps erected 400 light boards in 10 cities, including Boston, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Seattle, Portland, OR, Austin, TX, San Francisco and Philadelphia. No other incidents have been reported in the other markets, Turner said.
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