Posts Tagged ‘Burger King’

Is Burger King’s “Square Butts” ad responsible?

Friday, April 10th, 2009

Last night, a friend from high school sent me this question via Facebook:

Can you explain why ANYONE (let alone Burger King) would think it a good idea to adapt “I like Big Butts” to market a children’s meal?

Here’s the ad in question:


Extended version

This is one of the classic Responsible Marketing questions we talk about here. It takes real creativity to break through, and this ad is creative. But it’s also controversial, and controversy gets people talking and drives word of mouth. I’d argue this ad is almost impossible to keep to yourself.

Burger King knew exactly what they were approving: A funny, but potentially offensive ad for parents that they’d never want their young children to see.

Mission accomplished.

I am Burger King’s target:

  • I have small children
  • Sir-Mix-A-Lot song was popular when I was in college
  • And I laughed out loud when Mix-A-Lot himself said “Booty is booty”  at the end

But the idea of my kids seeing this ad makes me cringe. The word “butt” is off limits in my house (my kids are age six and four), and the sexual references are everywhere.

Hamilton Nolan at Gawker.com puts it this way:

The point is Sir Mix-a-Lot is teaching obesity and sexuality to your kids and you’re really okay with that, deep down, because you love Whoppers.

Is this ad message responsible?

I don’t think so.

But what’s your take?

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Posted in creativity, message responsible, responsible or not?, sex sells, videos, word of mouth | 10 Comments »

Facebook disables BK’s Whopper Sacrifice app

Thursday, January 15th, 2009

Whopper Sacrifice has been sacrificed

Facebook “helps you connect and share with the people in your life.”

But as anyone that has used the service knows, sometimes those connections can become, well, tenuous.

Enter Burger King, who last week saw this as not a problem, but an opportunity to help Facebook users cull the unworthy using an un-friend app at WhopperSacrifice.com.

Leading with the headline “You like your friends, but you love the Whopper,” for every 10 friends you dump, Burger King provides a coupon for one of their signature burgers.

The application went viral, and in one week, 82,000 people deleted over 230,000 friendships on Facebook.

Vince Veneziani of GearFuse had this to say about the app on his blog:

It really wasn’t tough finding ten people on Facebook that I wanted to delete. I just needed a reason and a juicy burger was sufficient enough. This is one of the most twisted, yet delicious, marketing ploys I’ve ever encountered.

Yesterday, Facebook shut the application down citing privacy concerns. According to Inside Facebook, it was because the site “sent a notification to the friend being removed letting them know they were being “sacrificed for a Whopper” before finalizing the removal.”

Here’s Veneziani’s notification page after un-friending 10 of his unfortunate contacts:

Whopper Sacrifice - Vince Veneziani - Gearfuse

Facebook claims the application still exists and will be enabled when the privacy issues are addressed, but clearly, Whopper Sacrifice won’t be nearly as controversial or interesting with the notification disabled.

What do you think?

Do you love or hate the BK app?

In trying to get attention and go viral, did Burger King go too far with the Whopper Sacrifice application, or did Facebook go too far in the name of privacy?

Comment below to share and/or friend me Facebook.

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Posted in creativity, love it or hate it?, privacy, viral marketing, word of mouth | 7 Comments »

Burger King Flame: Body spray of seduction

Friday, December 19th, 2008

Burger King—fresh from a beating in the blogosphere for their Whopper Virgins campaign—has snapped back.

They’re back on brand with the King and Burger King Flame, the “body spray of seduction with a hint of flame-broiled meat.”

Burger King Flame body spray

Yes, it’s real, but it’s sold out.

Of course, it’s not about the body spray, it’s about creating buzz and getting people to interact with the brand, and in the campaign site, you’ll do just that.

A crackling fire, a full moon and a romantic rubdown are just a few of the scenes you can experience in full-screen video.

Romantic interlude with Burger King Flame body spray

Make sure you view all of the videos—you won’t want to miss the “royal treatment.” Believe me, you won’t want to miss it.

So, is Burger King back on brand, or did you appreciate the Whopper Virgins campaign more?

What say you?

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. . .

Thanks much to Melissa Griswold for sharing this with me.

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Posted in branding, creativity, viral marketing, word of mouth | 1 Comment »

Comparitive advertising: Love it or hate it?

Thursday, December 18th, 2008

You’ve probably noticed there’s a lot more comparative advertising being done lately.

Miller Lite v. Bud Light, Whopper v. Big Mac, Campbells v. Progresso and Dunkin’ Donuts (or McDonalds) v. Starbucks all immediately come to mind.

Of course, the poster child for comparative advertising is Mac v. PC:


View Mac v. PC on YouTube

Is comparitive advertising good or bad?

In New ads: battle of the brands, the Christian Science Monitor argues all this comparative advertising might backfire.

Why?

After a negative, protracted political campaign season, people are fed up with negative advertising. And when one brand compares itself to another, both brands receive publicity.

I’ll buy that.

But while some ads can be downright brutal, the fact is consumers are overwhelmed with choices and information, and by comparing one product to another—even though it’s biased—they are learning about differences they might not have been aware of before.

So, do you love or hate comparative ads?

Are there particular brands that you think are doing this type of advertising particularly well?

Comment below to share.

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. . .

Thanks to Bill Boyd for sharing the CS Monitor story with me.

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Posted in competition, love it or hate it?, message responsible, videos | 5 Comments »

Responsible or not? Burger King’s Whopper Virgins

Monday, December 8th, 2008

The idea is simple, really.

Since everyone in America has heard of or tried a Whopper and the Big Mac, conduct taste tests in locations that have never even heard of Burger King or McDonald’s signature products.

And that’s what Burger King did—took their taste tests to remote locations in Romania, Greenland and Thailand.

Here’s a short film documenting their project, released yesterday, December 7th at WhopperVirgins.com:

While more subdued than some of Burger King’s recent advertising, the Whopper Virgins campaign has been called exploitive and offensive.

Criticisms include:

  • Taste tests were conducted in impoverished areas
  • Cultural insensitivity; use of cultural stereotypes
  • The use of the word “Virgin” in a mainstream ad campaign

    • Most feedback has come in response to the :30 documentary teasers (1, 2).

    But after watching the actual documentary, do you believe Burger King’s Whopper Virgins campaign is responsible marketing or not?

    Comment below to share your opinion.

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    . . .

    Hat tip to Jason Keath for sharing this campaign with me on Twitter.

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    Posted in responsible or not?, socially responsible, videos | 19 Comments »