FUMBLE: GREENPEACE PR STUNT CAUSES PANIC

In the earned media business, we often have to walk the line with communications strategies between being bold and edgy enough to break through all the other noise with a message, while not pushing the envelope too far. Greenpeace did the latter this week, with a stunt aimed at getting coverage for its message about potential dangers posed by nuclear power plants located close to the population concentrated in Toronto and the surrounding area. The tactic involved delivering little green pills to homes in the city, with a note from Greenpeace advising residents to take them as a precaution against radiation exposure. Some who received the pills were alarmed enough to call police, who issued warnings against taking them, and had them sent to a lab for analysis. Turns out the tablets were harmless seaweed-derived iodine pills, but the uproar ended up overwhelming the message, earning a New York Times blog entry headed "When Scare Tactics Backfire."