Reports: Ad Ploy Suspect Told Keep Quiet

Friend Says Boston Suspect Said Marketing Firm Asked Him To "Keep Everything On DL" In E-Mail

(CBS/AP) 
Phil Kent, Turner's chairman and CEO, made the apology in full-page ads in Boston newspapers for "the confusion and inconvenience" caused as highways, bridges and river traffic were shut down in several areas while police checked out the signs, some of which had protruding wires.

"We never intended this outcome and certainly did not set out to perpetrate a hoax. 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," Kent said.

"Our focus today and in the days ahead is on demonstrating to you the sincerity of our desire to do what is right. What happened in Boston is a humbling reminder that reputation is something we earn every day. We are working to regain your respect," the letter said.

Turner spokeswoman Shirley Powell said the company is in discussions with Boston city officials on how to best make amends.

Mayor Thomas Menino has estimated the costs in Boston alone would be more than $500,000. Costs incurred by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, state police and the cities of Cambridge and Somerville could amount to another $500,000, officials said.

The blinking electronic signs were placed in nine other cities across the country, displaying a profane, boxy-looking cartoon character. They caused barely a stir.

But in Boston, the signs sent a wave of panic across the city where hijackers launched the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Boston officials angrily vowed to hold Turner responsible.

Kent's letter said Turner, a unit of Time Warner Inc., has "pledged to them our full cooperation as we work to understand what happened, and why, and then to act responsibly on that information."

Young, hip Bostonians who are familiar with the unconventional marketing tactics used by many companies tended to see the city's reaction as unmitigated hysteria.

Tracy O'Connor, 34, a retail manager, called Boston's response "silly and insane," contrasting it with the response in the other cities where no one reported any concerns about the devices — an advertising gimmick for the TV show "Aqua Teen Hunger Force."

"We're the laughing stock," she said.

But public safety officials, as well as a large segment of Boston's older generation, condemned the publicity campaign as unthinkable in today's post-9/11 world.

"Just a little over a mile away from the placement of the first device, a group of terrorists boarded airplanes and launched an attack on New York City," police Commissioner Edward Davis said in an interview with The Associated Press.

"The city clearly did not overreact. Had we taken any other steps, we would have been endangering the public," he said.

The publicity campaign was conceived by the Adult Swim marketing department and approved by the head of the Cartoon network, Powell said Thursday.

"This was never intended to be a marketing campaign designed to create fear or public safety concerns," she said. "We were simply promoting a TV show. If we had ever perceived this to be something threatening safety, we would never have proceeded with it."

The network told the marketing company to decide where the devices should be placed, with the mandate they should be in places likely to be seen by young men. Adult Swim's target audience is men aged 18-to-24.

[thespyshop-2009]

Because I live in Rochester MN - home to Mayo Clinic, I've programmed the LED window sign at my business to inform the Homeland Security that the sign isn't a bomb - it's an LED sign. I'd hate to see HL S shut down Roch and the clinic over my advertising sign

[idfirsttime]

I feel badly for Boston's Mayor....he did a bad thing wasting peoples time and money. I understand that there were some pipe bomb scares in Boston earlier and perhaps this played a part in all this and explains why no other city in the USA was affected by these lite-brites.

Come on Mayor, apologies to the people....and stop calling this a BOMB HOAX...a hoax would be when somebody would try to make it out to look like a bomb but these were lite-brites. You see bombs but people see lite-brites. Grow up!

[bildooreilly]

See Ted Turner knows what it's all about, it's all about the $$$$$$$ that's why boston city "officials" are so angry other than the fact that they made themselves look like Jacka sses...

Turner spokeswoman Shirley Powell said the company is in discussions with Boston city officials on how to best make amends.

Mayor Thomas Menino has estimated the costs in Boston alone would be more than $500,000. Costs incurred by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, state police and the cities of Cambridge and Somerville could amount to another $500,000, officials said.

[bildooreilly]

Hey "ad ploy suspects" if you're reading this.. this might come in handy at your trial.... or any of you ever brought up for bogus charges such as posession of marijuana... JURY NULLIFICATION....

Jury nullification occurs where a jury, apparently ignoring the letter of the law and the instructions by the court, and taking into account all of the evidence presented, renders a verdict in contradiction to the law. Although a jury's refusal relates only to the particular case before it, juries are reluctant to pass a verdict contrary to law. Jury nullification may signal an unwillingness by the members of the jury to accept the law and may have far reaching implications. In a case of jury nullification, the jury sometimes bases its verdict on the jury members' view about the validity of the law itself, a consequence of recognising a right to trial by one's peers.[1]

I consider trial by jury as the only anchor yet imagined by man by which a government can be held to the principles of its constitution.

%u2014Thomas Jefferson, 1789 letter to Thomas Paine

[mjmri1]

I think its hilarious how people are somehow blaming this on Bush. What does he have to do with it? Nothing.

I find it utterly amusing that Boston officials are so stupid. A thin piece of plastic with lights on it shaped like a cartoon? A bomb? Hah, right. If they are worried about those, I would be worried about all those trash cans standing around in Boston. Hell, you could just throw a bomb in there and no one would know. Why place bombs in obvious places.

Someone told me that what "tipped" them off was one that had fallen and broke apart. If that is the case ... HELLO! A bomb doesn't break apart and not explode!!!

Now Boston wants to have Turner and the ad agency pay for the bill for causing mass panic??? Turner and/or the ad agency didn't cause mass panic. Boston and all their officials involved caused mass panic over light brights. Whosever idea it was to close everything down without investigation should be fired and barred from any public position. In fact, that person should foot the bill.

[cdegolier]

It wasn't the government or Bush responding to this, it was Boston other cities did not seem to have a problem or overreact, just Boston overreacted. The overreation had nothing to do with the patriot act or free speech or Bush. Just Boston overreacted and now wants someone to pay for their stupidity.

[texasiptv]

A light bright is not hoax device but a toy. Luckily, this incident did not happen during Christmas or the police would have arrested Santa Claus. That would be a true war on Christmas that the idiots at Fox News promote.
Next news flash: dog chases tail. Dog arrested and on $5,000 bond. Morons. Next War on Sponge Bob.

[susanhelit]

We really think terrorists are dumb enough to plant a bomb that looks like a bomb? A real terrorist would just put this thing in a backpack, or cover it with paper - not have a light-up bomb that tries to draw your attention!

It's just dumb that we're so paranoid right now. Boston overreacted, and now they're trying to hide that by making everyone else pay.

[rhondam5]

As long as they (the government) can keep us frightened about another impending terrorist attack they think we will blindly let them lead us into further economic destruction. I'm all for "erring on the side of caution", but there has got to become a time when we are no longer afraid of the boogey man.

The fact that these guys could face 5 yrs in prison is another example of how the patriot act has destroyed our free speech rights and people are buying right into it.

[smb221]

I want one.

[suiteo1]

I have to agree with most the comments about jumping the gun concerning these items. I mean, even my young daughter can recognize that some batteries, a bunch of LED%u2019s, and a simple electronic circuit is nothing more than a light show! I would think that an officer would realize that if nothing more was found or attached to it, like say an explosive device, common sense would prevail.

It's amazing that no other state involved reacted so dramatically! Maybe what started this panic is that the animated character (which I first thought was Sponge Bob from the brief shot I saw on the morning news) appears to be flipping off his middle finger! The angry looking eyebrows don't help matters either. What is this thing supposed to be anyway? Regardless, I think Turner has some other explaining to do concerning this rude gesture.

[blondmadison]

Hysteria never accomplishes anything. Now the idiots of Boston want who to pay for what? Pay for their overreactionary ridiculous hysteria? Yes.

Well? No. No one should pay the bill. I find it overpriced anyway. Anyone getting so fraught with fear should stay home or go sit in a police department...better yet, sit in a sanitarium. If you sit in a sanitarium long enough they will administer drugs, a cell, and a straight jacket.

[generey]

The Bahston PD jacka$$ that ordered the waterway's, road's bridge's etc. closed needs to foot the bill for this one. Just my opinion.

[getusedtoit]

What are CBS and other backward-*** old-media idiots calling this a "hoax"?

Hoax, of course, means "something intended to deceive or fraud" (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/hoax). This marketing campaign was no such thing - not even close. There was no intention to deceive: I'm sure it didn't occur to the marketers that anyone - let alone those in charge of security for a major metropolitan city %u2013 would be dumb enough to think that a "lite brite" set could be mistaken for a bomb. THEY should be arrested for *** up traffic and paralyzinig the city they're asinine unwarranted paranoia. And CBS NEWS and other outlets should be punished for abetting the TRUE hoax pulled on the American public: That these smart, smug marketers are the bad guys. They're heroes and I loved seeing them make the inquisitors at their press conference look dumb for taking their little blinking lights so seriously.

[getusedtoit]

What are CBS and other backward-*** old-media idiots calling this a "hoax"?

Hoax, of course, means "something intended to deceive or fraud" (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/hoax). This marketing campaign was no such thing - not even close. There was no intention to deceive: I'm sure it didn't occur to the marketers that anyone - let alone those in charge of security for a major metropolitan city %u2013 would be dumb enough to think that a "lite brite" set could be mistaken for a bomb. THEY should be arrested for *** up traffic and paralyzinig the city they're asinine unwarranted paranoia. And CBS NEWS and other outlets should be punished for abetting the TRUE hoax pulled on the American public: That these smart, smug marketers are the bad guys. They're heroes and I loved seeing them make the inquisitors at their press conference look dumb for taking their little blinking lights so seriously.

[tuckerndfw]

Two points:

Point One:

The ad agency did an outstanding job. They have gotten hundreds of millions of dollars in free publicity based on this stunt.

Point Two:

This demonstrates how ridiculous it has been to waste all that money on "homeland security." If "terrorists" can shut down a city with a few dollars worth of plastic, light bulbs and batteries, why bother building bnmbs or other high risk behavior?

It's time to reevaluate Bozo Bush's "war on terror." His "strategery" seems to be a miserable failure, which is his trademark.