You have to admit it's in TW's interest to make sure this thing gets laughed out of court though. Ultimately, the money trail ends at them and they DID pay these guys to do it. The quicker this is laughed out of court the better, as far as Turner is concerned.Phoenix said:
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
Boston police close river, bridges in possible college hoax
- Thread starter jamesinclair
- Start date
- Status
Alcibiades
Member
Phoenix said:
I'm sure they'd be called to the stand if such a trial materializes. Even if it's via a go-between, the arrested folks were doing the bidding of Time Warner. Sure, Time Warner isn't required to help them out, but it's the right thing to do. These people did nothing wrong. How did the arrested "create" this legal bind?
:lol this is awesome.Alcibiades said:
"Would you mind taking this seriously?"
"We're taking this very seriously! Now the 60's had more of a greased-back cut, but that actually has roots in the 20's..."
God. Those guys are really good at not blowing up. I'd explode on those reporters. "Apologize? You expect me to apologize that the idiotic city of Boston has people in charge and running it that can't tell the difference between a Brite Lite and a freakin' bomb?"
ConfusingJazz
Member
Alcibiades said:
I love these guys, I would totally participate in a mooninite protest.
Corwood Rep
Member
Alcibiades said:
BADASS.
Vark said:
this reminded me of that press conference in Undercover Brother where Billy Dee Williams' character announced that he would not run for president so that he could start up a chain of fried chicken restaurants, "will there be side dishes!?"
CajoleJuice
Member
hahahaAlcibiades said:
Phoenix
Member
White Man said:
The DID do something wrong! While Bostons overreactions is laughable I'm amazed by GAFs desire o suddenly go the hippie peace and love route when its clear that there were laws violated in the process of doing this campaign. There is a reason why cities require permits for signage, especially commercial signage. Time Warner did nothing more than contract out marketing work to post signage in creative places for a mass marketing campaign - period. Its like them giving money to a marketer to spread flyers of meatwad around and the people they paid decided to superglue them to people's windshields. The fault is entirely with the company ( lets not forget that this is a business, not two clueless artists as they are trying to be portrayed here ) that did work. If the contracted company wants to turn around and sue the city, they are welcome to do so because I can tell you with certainty that if TWX ends up paying for this mess, the contracted company will get sued to cover the cost.
Get real. The whole situation shows just how assinine a ton of people can be, and how lame it is that people cant get a joke.Phoenix said:
I love it, and I condone this, but furthermore, I want them to put a MASSIVE billboard up in Boston making fun of city officials, and the police department.
Hell, ILL PAY FOR IT.
The problem is while they did violate some laws, the laws they did violate slide in somewhere above jay walking and somewhere below graffiti.
As far as guerrilla marketing goes this was pretty tame from an execution standpoint.
When they're being held up by Fox News and Boston as the anti christ, I think its expected that you're going to get people swinging harder the other way to balance it.
The local news here in austin keeps harping on 'Police searching the city for similar 'devices'!' and then cutting to some clip of some ice cream store employee and a cop on the room of a single story building walking around not finding anything.
As far as guerrilla marketing goes this was pretty tame from an execution standpoint.
When they're being held up by Fox News and Boston as the anti christ, I think its expected that you're going to get people swinging harder the other way to balance it.
The local news here in austin keeps harping on 'Police searching the city for similar 'devices'!' and then cutting to some clip of some ice cream store employee and a cop on the room of a single story building walking around not finding anything.
BigGreenMat
Member
Phoenix said:
I am going to disagree with you Phoenix. They didn't do anything wrong. Did the break the law? Probably, but I break the law several times a day. Like if I feel like just chilling on the sidewalk waiting for a friend. I am technically loitering and can be fined or forcibly removed. Also there is that one time I advertised a show and put up a poster on a fence. Yeah I guess I broke the law. Or that time when I was reading the paper on a windy day and it blew out of my hands and flew all over the place. I broke the law again. Also I have urinated outside before. Again breaking the law. These are just ones off the top of my head that have happened recently. I guarantee you there are laws on the books far more arcane that I don't even know about, hell that even the police don't know about, but if they wanted to they could stick on me. Look at the charges they are under. Causing a public nuisance? What is that exactly? You don't know, well neither does anyone else until they want to trump up some charge on someone. You should easily understand this.
I would be pissed if I was a Bostonian, not at these guys, but at the system that somehow blew this so out of proportion that it affected the city and 'supposedly' cost so much money.
Phoenix said:
No, they didn't do anything wrong. They were paid to put these doodads up, probably with very little instruction when it comes to zoning information.
Also, don't forget that we don't even know if these two "suspects" put the signs in any of the "suspicious" locations. The first suspect was arrested for putting up ONE of these things. Not dozens, not all, but ONE.
The firm TW hired is the one at fault (unless the "suspects" ignored some rules that were clearly communicated to them), and by proxy TW has egg on its face. To act like TW isn't a domino in the chain that ends with the "suspects" is pretty lame.
Phoenix said:No... cmon guys, it just happened like yesterday. There is no way they could have had a sign created and put it out that quickly
not saying that's real, but that seems like the sort of movie ad they'd use regardless of what happened yesterday.
Phoenix
Member
White Man said:
False. They were paid money to promote a brand. That's specifically what they were paid for, so get that absolute fact straight first. The marketing company came up with the idea, Time Warner agreed with the proposal and paid them based on that. Let's get that second fact straight. Based on that, its up to the contracting body to take the proper steps to make sure that the brand is protected, no one is harmed, and that no laws are broken in the process of spreading the marketing message. That's basic basic business. Lets get that 3rd fact straight.
So yes, they did something wrong. In hippie peace, love, and we should be able to do whatever we want to do world - they didn't have to tell anyone. But in the real world with real laws and regulations they did. The actions that followed was a direct consequence of them not doing what was required in the real world and I'm sure the trial will focus on that specifically.
I guess.. if you live in fantasy land where I should bail you out because YOU ****ed up.
Phoenix said:
All I'm saying is that if the "suspects" (and we don't even know if these particular people placed the things in contentious areas), followed the rules that the were given by the advertising company, to the letter, and got busted for it, then it's absolutely the fault of the company that gave them the instructions.
If the company did tell them where they specifically could not place these things, and they disobeyed, then yes, the suspects are at fault.
And as I said: Worth noting, we don't even know if these suspects places the devices in any of the "suspicious" areas, so stop saying these people "****ed" up.
BigGreenMat
Member
Phoenix said:The purpose of getting a permit to place marketing around is clear and is ESPECIALLY underscored in Guerilla Marketing as it becomes easy to have your marketing message misinterpreted. Its actually in the book called "Guerilla Marketing"
Not saying it isn't. Doesn't mean this whole situation isn't incredibly stupid. It definitely doesn't make what these guys did wrong. Just because something ends badly doesn't make it 'wrong'. Unfortunate definitely.
MrPing1000
Member
This is ****ing hilarious :lol
Uk laughs like it did with Janet Jackson. Overeact much? :lol
Uk laughs like it did with Janet Jackson. Overeact much? :lol
Segata Sanshiro
Member
So would it have changed anything if these weren't for advertising and were instead just artistic expressions? And don't say they're graffiti, because a fundamental component of why graffiti is considered a crime is because it causes damage to property.
Shall we next arrest children who draw on sidewalks with chalk?
Shall we next arrest children who draw on sidewalks with chalk?
Mr. Mister
Member
lighten up.
on a side note i was watching the news at a friends house last night (no cable) and this was the top story, had a good laugh, it was followed of course by a really scary terror plot that was foiled in london, then a ton of shit about people blowing up in iraq.
and we wonder why people like phoenix are paranoid.
on a side note i was watching the news at a friends house last night (no cable) and this was the top story, had a good laugh, it was followed of course by a really scary terror plot that was foiled in london, then a ton of shit about people blowing up in iraq.
and we wonder why people like phoenix are paranoid.
Phoenix said:
I'm sure Time Warner will easily be able to deflect any charges brought against them directly. I find it odd that you're so quick to sell the "suspects" out when we don't even know if they directly placed the things in contentious areas, nor if they were instructed NOT to place the thing in the contentious areas in the first place.
Phoenix
Member
White Man said:
I'm sure that will be comforting to the TWX employees who will be fired and the others that will be severely repremanded for their role in this.
Sell them out? Its their job to know. If you're in marketing its your job to know the laws and regulations of marketing within they state where you're doing business.
Mr. Mister
Member
someone will have to take the fall and be a scapegoat for sure.
but that is only because people like you who are demanding accountability. your pride was wounded, you got all worked up and it ended up being nothing.
sane people with a sense of humor see this for what it is -- a farce.
but that is only because people like you who are demanding accountability. your pride was wounded, you got all worked up and it ended up being nothing.
sane people with a sense of humor see this for what it is -- a farce.
Phoenix said:
I don't believe they've actually been charged yet, have they (haven't read anything this afternoon)? But the authorities in Boston have made it very clear that they intend to treat this as a Homeland Security Hoax. As for their business insurance? What the heck does that have to do with them? Wow, Big Corporations have different concerns than individual people! Whoda thunk it?
I'm concerned about the 2 people arrested for this, not TW's business troubles due to this, which are minor compared to innocents potentially going to fed.
- Status