Boston - Where marketing ideas go to die.
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Boston, MA- Arguably the cultural and business center of New England has lately been the location of two high profile ad campaigns gone awry.
The Cartoon Network and Dr. Pepper have both recently come under fire for their choice of marketing tactics. The Cartoon network hung several blinking signs in various locations about town. The desired effect was to create awareness for “Aqua Teen Hunger force”, a program on the network.
The result was Boston shutting down sections of the city when the devices were mistakenly thought to be explosive devices. The men who hung the signs were arrested and 2 million dollars ($2,000,000) had to be paid to cover the cost of police activity related to the incidents.
Obviously not learning any lessons here Dr. Pepper left clues for its latest promotion leading treasure seekers to a famous Boston cemetery. The desired effect was to engage the public with a fun scavenger hunt to promote the Dr. Pepper brand.
The result was public outcry against the company for desecrating a historic cemetery. The site was closed down for fear that people would be disturbing the graves and police where called to control the situation. The company offered to pay the cemetery ten thousand dollars ($10,000) for its “time and trouble” as well as an additional $500 dollars to cover the expense of extra police brought to guard the location.
I think marketing folk should remember to look before they leap. While I agree with many that Boston over reacted to the “Cartoon Network” campaign, the “Dr. Pepper” campaign should have recognized the sensitive nature of using a cemetery as part of a promotional campaign. They also should have been aware as to how sensitive the city of Boston might be to another guerilla marketing tactic in their city. If they had the forethought to have discussed their intentions with the city, they may have avoided the negative press.
Even though these marketing campaigns had their issues, I want to go on the record here as being a fan of both “The Cartoon Network” and “Dr. Pepper” - though I still have no idea what flavor the soda actually is. Just because a campaign fails, it doesn’t mean the product is bad. I look forward to seeing what both camps come up with for their next foray into the “Buzz” game.
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Tags: Business Principles, Marketing
Posted in Advertising, Business Principles, Marketing
Dr. Pepper is Prune Juice.
As someone who has done a youth scavenger hunt in a cemetery once I love the idea, but I have to say that it’s just not smart for a big company like DP to do it!
February 28th, 2007 at 1:36 pmI am afraid that two of our most valuable assets, free thinking and the creative spirit of this country, will be stifled by fearful suspicion instead of encouraged. If our country is to do great things, then it will be from the actions of the free thinkers; because the great engineers, the gifted artists and the powerful leaders do things that are different. Your actions discourage free thinking, promote a mediocre life, and seek a convenient escape goat.
March 1st, 2007 at 1:00 amWho are you referring to when you say “Your actions discourage free thinking, promote a mediocre life, and seek a convenient escape goat.”
I think your comment in general is a bit of a stretch. In fact boundaries actually encourage creativity. This happens in art all the time, whether it be TV or movies. While producers hate having to edit in order to get the necessary rating it encourages them to think outside the box to get done what they want, whether that be in special effects, storyline, etc.
While nobody wants to stifle creativity to the point where there is none, boundaries, whether they be imposed, or just plain common sense, encourage more creative thinking and often times a better result.
March 1st, 2007 at 7:06 amFirst off. Dr.Pepper is not prune juice. The 23 flavors are some sort of mystery with many speculating that they include plum and almond oil flavors. There are actually many sites that hotly debate this topic. If your really interested try:
http://www.snopes.com/business/secret/drpepper.asp
Second - I am not really sure how my “actions” discourage anything. As a matter of fact I clearly state that I am looking forward to what these companies will come up with next. I am a strong advote for free thinking and free will. I am also a strong advocate for common sense.
March 1st, 2007 at 9:31 amThis is getting old.
The infamous day started with two pipe bombs being found, one on the supports of a bridge and other other in a Boston medical center.
The police were put on high alert over the pipe bombs, and were really frustrated by the endless stream of ATHF fanboys calling in the damn ads as “Suspicious devices.”
Fortunately, the two bombs turned out to be skilled fakes, but if they had been real, and if there had been more, the ATHF fans calling in the ads would have introduced fatal delays in Police response time.
March 2nd, 2007 at 9:58 am