No Burger Love... for now
Creators of annual culinary promotion looking for new owner, 2023 event on hold
CHARLOTTETOWN –
P.E.I. beef won't be feeling the love in 2023 as the annual Burger Love campaign has been put on hold for the foreseeable future.
In a video posted on Facebook on Feb. 1, Fresh Media president and creative director Melody Dover said the company is now looking for someone else to take over the annual campaign, which has been running since 2011.
In the video, Dover explained she has been suffering from chronic pain over the last five years and had been advised by her doctors she would need to reduce stress, which can act as a trigger for her pain. In an interview with SaltWire Network on Feb. 2, Dover said she had hoped the campaign would run in 2023 and even had a few interested parties who she felt were close to making it happen.
However, those options didn't pan out, and the campaign was instead cancelled.
“We were left with having to decide how to best approach this year,” she said.
“Knowing where I am at with my chronic pain and it being an ongoing challenge, it's something where we had to pull the trigger and just be completely honest with everybody. So that's where the video came from.”
WORKING THROUGH THE PAIN
Dover said her chronic pain stems from two accidents, one in 2017 and another in 2019, where her vehicle was rear-ended.
She said at first, the pain was manageable to a point where she didn't pay much attention to it. However, in the last few years, it has become more prominent and problematic.
“You just think, ‘oh I just got a bump, it's no big deal,'” she said.
“But there were greater repercussions for me physically than I ever anticipated. I didn't even know what chronic pain was.”
After discussing with her husband, who is also her business partner, Dover said she was left with a difficult conclusion – Burger Love had to go.
“We absolutely love Burger Love, and we think it's a tremendous benefit to the Island and all those who participate,” she said.
“But we felt that the thing that is the biggest responsibility each year, if that could be something that could be bestowed on someone else to take over, that would allow me the space … for me to have the time I need for my pain management.”
A BRAND OF LOVE
While letting go of Burger Love after more than a decade of building it up is a difficult decision, Dover said she is excited to see what someone else can do with it.
She said the sale of the Burger Love property also includes all trademarking for Burger Love and the Love brand across Canada.
“If somebody wanted to do a Blueberry Love campaign during the Blueberry Festival, that's an option, so there are a few different avenues people could take with it,” she said, noting the brand's expansion into P.E.I. Lobster Love in 2020-21.
While Dover didn't disclose the asking price for the brand, she said those interested in leading Burger Love and taking over the brand can contact Fresh Media and will be put in contact with the consultant organizing the sale.
“What I look forward to is seeing someone else take the reins of Burger Love, build upon what we've established and add in all kinds of other fun new things they can incorporate,” said Dover. “I would just like to see it live on more than anything, so that I can go enjoy it as a customer.”