Little did Peter Berdovsky or Sean Stevens know how much trouble they’d get into, all because of a cartoon character. On January 31, 2007, the two men became the most well-known pranksters in recent Boston history- mainly because of a guerrilla marketing campaign gone awry.

It all began when, in late 2006, marketing company Interference Inc. approached Berdovsky about participating in an outdoor marketing campaign for Cartoon Network’s “Aqua Teen Hunger Force.” After he agreed, the company sent him several electronic signs to be placed around the city. With help from Stevens, the two men placed the Litebrite-like signs in various Boston locations in January 2007.

Just two weeks later, it was these signs, which displayed a character called a Mooninite waving a middle finger, that caused a panic throughout the city, forcing the closings of several highways, bridges and subway lines. Only after police, rescue units, helicopters and the bomb squad combed the city for more devices, was it revealed that the incident was merely a publicity stunt. Not only were Berdovsky and Stevens arrested, but Turner Broadcasting System paid $2 million in restitution to the city and the head of Cartoon Network stepped down.

This ad-gone-bad is just one example of the type of advertising companies employ to reach their target age group: the Millennials, who encompass most college-age people and teens. Guerrilla marketing, as this type of subversive, low-cost advertising is called, generally aims to reach people via unconventional means. Recent examples have included “renting” space for ads on people’s foreheads and placing ads inside urinals.

Brett Zaccardi, CEO of Boston-based Street Attack Marketing which specializes in creative advertising, has been involved in several non-traditional advertising campaigns. The Boston incident, he said, is proof that there is a time and place for guerrilla marketing.

“It was improperly executed,” Zaccardi said. “It takes a lot more to do it right. I love the tactic of light boxes of Mooninites for that audience. [Placing them] in Allston on a light pole is fine, but it shows you how many aspects of urban landscape there are to take into account.”

The key to successful, smart marketing, Zaccardi says, is to figure out the target audience, then plan a campaign exclusively for them and use it in an area where that audience will be. One campaign that went well, he said, was for Dunlop Tires. Zaccardi’s team decided to shave a few people’s heads in the pattern of a tire tread and have them walk on streets notable for attracting young crowds, like Newbury Street. This creative take on advertising for tires generated media attention and was even featured in The Boston Globe.

What seems to work very well, though, in comparison to elaborate campaigns and splashy marketing, is simple word of mouth, which is an essential part of guerrilla marketing.

Zaccardi discovered how effective word of mouth can be when he launched two other off-beat campaigns. One involved a tactic he calls “media upside-down,” in which traditional media is placed in a non-traditional setting. His firm took pictures of a product and placed it on door hangers, then placed those door hangers on the handle bars of New York subway trains. Word of mouth about this product spread, and the creator saved a lot of money on advertising.

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