Sometimes guerilla marketing has unintended consequences. Jim Samples, the executive vice president and general manager of Cartoon Network resigned following the fallout from the bomb scare fiasco over the failed marketing gimmick for ‘Aqua Teen Hunger Force.’ For a guy in charge of making a bunch of cartoons, he sure got in a heap of trouble.
Says Samples, "I deeply regret the negative publicity and expense caused to our company as a result of this campaign. It's my hope that my decision allows us to put this chapter behind us and get back to our mission of delivering unrivaled original animated entertainment for consumers of all ages."
Samples mea culpa comes at a hefty price tag. Turner Broadcasting, which owns Cartoon Network, agreed to pay the city of Boston $2 million for expenses created over the state of high alert on January 31. Boston officials went haywire after discovering devices with blinking lights under bridges and other public areas and mistaking them for bombs.
Says Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley according to TV.com, "It is our hope that these funds will cover not only the expenses incurred. They will also enable our communities to enhance homeland security or pursue other important community initiatives."
For starters, the city of Boston might want to train its security officials on the difference between a silly cartoon and an actual bomb. Maybe make ‘Aqua Teen’ required viewing or something to that effect.
‘Aqua Teen’ can be seen during Cartoon Network’s popular Adult Swim. Here is a brilliant National Lampoon, uh, lampoon of the whole situation courtesy of YouTube:
