# Guerrilla Marketing Gone Bad Boston Hoax Turns Into Million Dollar Mishap By Greg Ponesse | Published 2007-02-03 | Unique Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/guerrilla-marketing-gone-bad-boston-hoax-turns-into-million-dollar-mishap References: [nytimes](http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/02/us/02hoax.html?ref=us) Two men have been accused of placing [electronic advertisements](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ninja-gaiden-4) for a cartoon around Boston that some people feared was a bomb. It is obvious that the city of Boston did not recognize the display for what it was. **Implications** - The two men were actually hired by a [marketing firm](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/legitimate-you) called Interference Inc. The men placed the advertisements with [flashing lights all around the city](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/mosaic-north-america). The ads had a picture of a character from the show Aqua Teen Hunger Force on them. It's apparent that not many people knew the cartoon very well! Even though the men were hired by a company they were still charged with "placing a hoax device in a way that causes panic and disorderly conduct." ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 4.6/10 - Popularity: 70% | Activity: 59% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial - Top markets: North America, Europe ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Unique](https://www.trendhunter.com/unique) > [Pranks](https://www.trendhunter.com/pranks) ## Key Themes ### What Makes This Trend Stand Out - **Guerrilla Marketing:** Opportunity to explore creative and unconventional marketing strategies to grab attention and generate buzz. - **Public Safety Awareness:** Need for increased education and awareness campaigns to help the public differentiate between harmless advertisements and potential threats. - **Crisis Management:** Demand for effective strategies to handle negative publicity and mitigate potential damage caused by marketing stunts gone wrong. ### Sectors Adopting This - **Advertising & Marketing:** Innovation opportunities lie in developing safer and more effective guerrilla marketing tactics that captivate consumers without causing panic or confusion. - **Entertainment:** Potential for disruptive innovations in promoting TV shows or cartoons using unconventional methods that are memorable and don't lead to public alarm. - **Public Safety & Security:** Opportunity to create and implement educational campaigns and technologies that help people distinguish between harmless marketing tactics and suspicious objects. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Flame-Grilled Billboards](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/flame-grilled-billboard.md) - [Brighton Retail Launch Ads](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ikea-brighton.md) - [Cross-Border Condiment Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/smuggler-marmite.md) - [Drug-Themed April Fool's Gags](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/innocean-berlin.md) - [Athletic Apparel Interactive Billboards](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/shoplift-campaign.md) - [Artful Illusory Ads](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/illusion-artwork.md) - [Marketer-Targeted Cereal Ads](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/out-of-home-campaign.md) - [Nightmarish Mobile Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/cellphone-bill.md) - [Comical Lawsuit-Inspired Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/glebe-farms-oatly-lawsuit.md)