No Such Thing As Bad Publicity?

If there was ever a campaign that challenged this idea, it’s the recent PR stunt by the game developer THQ and the storefront GameStop which, as Fox News put it, “had California’s greenest seeing red--literally.” The company, attempting to publicize its forthcoming video game Homefront, released thousands of red balloons into the air in California. In the video game, the United States is invaded by troops from North Korea, and the release of the balloons was meant to stimulate a method used by South Korea to send messages of hope to North Korea. It was directly preceded by a staged mock lunchtime rally at Yerba Buena Gardens where the game’s supporters were encouraged by the company to “take to the streets to demonstrate against the North Korean regime and the treatment of its citizens.” An interactive rally combined with the amazing visual of 10,000 red balloons being released into the California sky all at once? Not a bad bid for publicity right?

Well, in theory, it was a very good idea. That is, until wind and rain caused all of the balloons to land in the San Francisco Bay, just blocks away from the launch, angering environmentalists and causing a rush of criticism for the game developer. Enraged environmentalists took to social media sites like Twitter and Facebook to rip the stunt apart and demand an apology. How did Homefront handle this?

Well, the Gamestop company immediately released a statement claiming that the balloons “were made from a 100% organic product and are 100% biodegradable.” While adamantly stating that the release would cause no harm to the environment, they nonetheless informed the angry public that they would be hiring a clean-up crew just in case. Not a bad reaction from the company. In my opinion, a wonderful example of PR. But was the damage already done?

While others may not agree with me, “no publicity is bad publicity” truly does apply here. I, for one, would never have heard of Homefront if not for this public debacle. Although I am not the target demographic (spending hours huddled in a dark room while chugging down pop and eating some Cocoa Puffs is not exactly my thing), I’m sure this reached some buyers of video games who wouldn’t have heard of it otherwise. And let’s be honest, video game users are probably not the most environmentally conscious. I know my little brother probably cares more about his level in Donkey Kong than possible balloon pollution in the ocean. Plus, the visual of thousands of red balloons in the San Francisco Bay is pretty darn cool.