Damn It, America Wants Its Whopper!

Ah yes, the Whopper Freakout. Or, "How Americans Obsess Over the Silliest Things." But don't listen to us bitch because this latest Burger King work from Cirspin Porter + Bogusky is good. Really good. They created an eight minute, candid camera-style video in which Burger King patrons are told the chain has removed the Whopper from its menu for good. People freak. We laugh. ANd the King shows up at the end to set the record straight: it's just a big joke. No worries. The Whopper is here to stay.

Particularly funny is a scene in which a man returns his bag to the counter because there's Wendy's burger in the bag. He gets angry. There were no fights though or they were edited out. It's nice piece of work. It's different. It's actually watchable.

by Steve Hall Dec-14-07 Click to Comment
Topic: Brands, Good, Video

Comments

"piece of work" !

Posted by: arthur on December 14, 2007 12:19 PM

Nice billboard for BK near the Lincoln Tunnel.

Posted by: Tom Messner on December 14, 2007 3:12 PM

Nice! They ripped off the opening art direcion with the Burger King wrapper from Imaginary Force's "Dead Man on Campus" opening credits.

"DMOC" is at least 6 years old and pretty well known by anyone that calls themselves an art director.

Posted by: kirk on December 14, 2007 3:46 PM

killer!

Posted by: Adam P on December 15, 2007 9:17 AM

This is the most self-serving piece of advertising I've seen in a while. What does this do other than reinforce what everyone knows. So people like the Whopper. So big deal.

Posted by: Gout Attack on December 15, 2007 12:34 PM

Exactly the purpose of advertising my friend. To remind people what the love and to create a demand for it. That's exactly what this does.

Posted by: Steve Hall on December 15, 2007 11:22 PM

Not sure I agree with that statement. This idea has been done before with Got Milk and that made sense because milk competes on an international scale with water and soda and juice, etc. That was a reminder of how good milk was and is. This idea was a goof on people. The Whopper will be back again the next day and the people who were going to order it before will order it again and the people who weren't, won't. It's not like New Coke where there was a real fear of it being taken off the shelves. This was Burger King and Cripin having a good laugh at its audience. If Burger King wants to spend its money that way, so be it. But this is in no way representative of all advertising.

Posted by: Gout Attack on December 16, 2007 9:29 AM

this stuff is great. and anyone who disagrees needs to chill out/rethink their career choice.

Posted by: veedub on December 16, 2007 6:26 PM

Hmmmmm. So the message here is... if you have an opinion about advertising, you shouldn't be in it. Good advice.

Posted by: Gout Attack on December 16, 2007 6:40 PM

only if your opinion happens to be very obviously wrong. ;-)

Posted by: veedub on December 16, 2007 6:59 PM

Exactly the purpose of advertising my friend. To remind people what the love and to create a demand for it. That's exactly what this does.
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People love poor white trash? Because that's what I think of when I see this commercial - losers who freak out when you take away their cheap food.

Hey, it may not be the wisest move to associate your brand with the people who actually buy it, but at least it's honest. And honesty rarely sells... in fact, honesty is pretty damn ugly and rarely watchable.

I mean, have you been in a McD's lately, or shopped at WalMart, or looked at the average Bud Light drinker? Companies pay agencies millions to NOT do what BK did.

Posted by: Paul on December 17, 2007 12:51 PM

the whole thing is bitter-sweet, much like the McDonald's nugget sauce. The stories that the whopper evokes, the memories...those are real whereas most advertising isn't real. I think that must count for something.

Posted by: scott on December 17, 2007 1:18 PM

Agree Scott. Paul, your notion that honesty be replaced with aspirational fantasy is one of the biggest things that's wrong with the ad industry today.

Posted by: Steve Hall on December 17, 2007 1:31 PM

Agree Scott. Paul, your notion that honesty be replaced with aspirational fantasy is one of the biggest things that's wrong with the ad industry today.
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It certainly has it's place - but selling food (of all things) using people who got lost on their way to the Star Trek convention isn't one of them. At least not in my opinion.

And one of the things wrong with the ad industry is that no one sells a product anymore, they sell you a lifestyle or try to associate an emotion with the product. Using the salt of the earth to sell you that fantasy, et al, is no more honest than using hot models. All you've done is replace an unrealistic glamorized fantasy with an ode to fast food nostalgia... neither idea is selling a tangible product.

Posted by: Paul on December 17, 2007 3:09 PM

Well i think I'd certainly have to agree with you on that, Paul:-)

Posted by: Steve Hall on December 17, 2007 4:12 PM

Great idea. Bad acting.

Posted by: Edward on December 18, 2007 12:46 PM

Sweet Jesus ... are the people that eat at Burger King the biggest collection of LOSERS or what?? They snap because they can't eat their shitty burger?? Burger King should be doing them a favor and putting those people down :) Either those people are actors that are made to portray Burger King customers as complete and utter pathetic losers ... or the people themselves are to dumb to realize that Burger King gets to make them look like Idiots on National TV for their marketing campaign :P
BWAHAHAAH

" Get me my WHOPPER NOW ! "