A new kind of "reponse" marketing?

No doubt you've heard about the theft of a "pod load" of toys destined for needy children. Today, there was an outpouring of the Christmas spirit as hundreds responded to the news by bringing toys and cash to the State Police barracks managing this year's Toys for Tots campaign.

If I were a cynic, I'd say that a well-publicized theft is maybe the best thing that could happen for any charitable organization (and, of course, the needy children that benefit)

In an unusually long on-location segment seen on WBZ TV-4/Boston during their 5pm newscast, a gentleman arrived at the barracks with three bags of toys. During the live interview, he mentioned "Toys R Us" twice while explaining how he learned of the crime on boston.com. Later in the interview, he credited the boston globe.com a second time as the online presence that informed him of the theft, which spurred him to visit Toys R Us.

Of course, there's no reason to believe he was paid for the mentions. But, for savvy marketers out there looking for an audience to promote their wares, name-dropping on live TV sure is cost-effective.