Moldy burger ad unlikely to be forgotten soon
However, it remains to be seen if that will translate into sales
Have you seen the new ad campaign for Burger King in which a Whopper goes moldy?
It’s visually a bit unsettling. I saw the timelapse video the other day, in which a Whopper appears to very quickly go south.
It was filmed over the course of 34 days, and the point is to show what happens to Whoppers when there is no artificial ingredients, colors or flavors, Forbes reports.
Now, Burger King isn’t the first to drop artificial ingredients from its food. McDonald’s started doing this in 2018.
But Burger King might be the first to advertise the change by showing how their burgers mold.
I’d certainly give them points for an unusual approach to advertising. Normally, one would tout a pretty burger and emphasize how wonderful it is now that it’s free of fake stuff. We’ve all seen those ads, filled with luscious food shots designed to make us drool.
However, I tend to ignore the ads on TV unless there’s something really unusual on there. I’ve seen a million ads with perfect food, to the point that they all sort of blend together.
Then along came the moldy burger, which got my attention enough that I actually researched why on earth the ad existed.
According to Forbes, that was the intention. Burger King’s marketing team told Forbes that if someone just took a bite of a fresh burger, it wouldn’t get the same level of attention that this moldy campaign has. Point taken and clearly heard. When it comes to TV advertising, something has to rise above the noise to be remembered. That’s part of the reason why marketing teams go crazy during the Super Bowl – they want to be the ad that viewers remember.
Usually, I tend to remember the ads that make me laugh, or really touch an emotional point. I also remember the ones with the catchy jingles. I don’t eat Big Macs, but I still know the slogan … “Two allbeef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions – on a sesame seed bun….”
And I’m not a fan of hot dogs at all, but do I know the Oscar Mayer jingle? You betcha.
Those are two great examples of marketing that worked to some extent on me. I know their names, and I know their products. But it didn’t translate into sales for me.
Now, the moldering Whopper can now be added to that list. I’m not a fan of “shock value” style ads. But in this case, there is something really visually fascinating about that Whopper.
I can’t say it makes me want to eat a Whopper – but it got my attention and got me talking about it. And isn’t that one of the goals of advertising? From that perspective, it’s a win for Burger King. But will it sell any burgers? That remains to be seen. Unsigned editorials represent the viewpoint of this newspaper rather than an individual. Columns and letters to the editor represent the viewpoints of the persons writing them and do not necessarily represent the views of the Yuma Sun.