As it turned out, this was neither a terrorist nor alien attack - just the work of a couple of stoner ad men eager to promote Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Adult Swim’s cultish cartoon series.
 
Although Time Warner -- the Cartoon Network’s parent company -- was accused of corporate irresponsibility, hoax perpetration and general uncoolness, the number of households viewing the show rose by 5% in a single week, from 1,082,500 to 1,030,500.

According to data from Nielsen Media Research, traffic to the Cartoon Network’s website also spiked 105.2%, from 385,00 to 790,000, with a corresponding run on Aqua Teen Hunger Force merchandise. Viewers even vied to purchase the potentially explosive moon-men for upwards of $5,000 each.
 
By contrast, an Oreo (KTF) campaign which appeared in Manhattan generated hunger, rather than widespread panic: The ads, plastered on a glass elevator car and its housing, showed a gargantuan Oreo cookie being dipped into an oceanic glass of milk. (That onlooker licking his lips and rubbing his belly was probably just what Nabisco was going for.)
 
Of course, not all ad campaigns can access our wallets via our stomachs. Some have to go for the armpits.

Take Right Guard, for example. A team of Procter & Gamble (PG) associates donned shirts whose armpits were equipped with tiny video screens, then boarded a subway in London. Whenever one of the crew raised his or her arm, a Right Guard commercial played on the improbably located monitor, for the benefit of the commuting public.

Sure, it’s invasive - but marginally less offensive than a whiff of BO.
 
Bloggers  warily asked what might happen if this “pitvertising” technique were applied to other products.

But they, like the rest of us, will just have to live in fear of the infinite possibilities.

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