Ninja Turtles Poster Controversy
Last Tuesday the Australian marketing department of Paramount Pictures tweeted an image of the poster of the upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to promote the film. The poster controversy was not caused by the poster itself, which features the turtle leaping from an exploding skyscraper, but by the department’s failure to notice the film’s Australian release date: September 11.
The tweet offended many users, who expressed their discontent, leading Paramount to delete the original tweet. Director Michael Bay told Entertainment Tonight he was also outraged over the poster, and made sure studio executives knew he was just as upset as the fans.
What do you think? Honest mistake or brilliant viral marketing strategy?