When I saw the molding Burger King ad, all I could think about was the marketing shock. How do you show your food product going moldy? In what universe is that a good thing? But the strategy was clear. How could Burger King communicate that they were eliminating all preservatives, artificial ingredients, and colors from their restaurant?
After watching the video a few times, it reminded me how sometimes shock as a strategy could work. It can help exaggerate a point and grab the viewer by the collar to get her attention. And getting attention is much more difficult today than selling hamburgers. The song, what a difference a day makes gently plays in the background as the days pass and the old Whopper gets moldy.
Shocking
The stunt is an unexpected marketing shock to tell a new story. Burger King said in a press release that it has removed the preservatives from Whoppers in most of Europe and is doing it in the U.S. too. According to the CMO, Machado,
“We believe real food tastes better. That is why we are removing preservatives, colors, and flavors from artificial sources from the food served in all countries around the world.”
Three Marketing Takeaways
- If you are trying to let go of an old image, a marketing shock might be in order. Older companies with traditional structures have a hard time letting go of the past. Imagine Kodak burning canisters of film, to make way for the digital age. The marketing shock is necessary for both external and internal audiences.
- Attention requires counterintuitive thinking. You need to break the pattern of what people expect to see., Great advertising and promotional marketing disrupt your expectations. You sit back and go OMG. Suddenly, there is room for a new story to emerge.
- A brand lives in the mind of the consumer, not in your open-space office. If you want consumers to see you differently, you better give them jaw-dropping imagery that leads them somewhere new. We all know that food without preservatives will go bad. Now, that image is flame-broiled on your brain.
This marketing campaign is truly is a whopper. I’ll be curious to watch the results over the next year.
If you haven’t seen it, check out the Burger King video here.
Is your business coach a little moldy? Does your business need an all-natural, preservative-free marketing coach, guide, or sherpa? Are you generating enough leads? Is your marketing underperforming? I can help.
You can set up a time to chat with me about your marketing challenges using my calendar. Our initial conversation is free. You talk, I listen. Email me jeffslater@themarketingsage.com or call me. 919 720 0995. Visit my website at www.themarketingsage.com Let’s explore working together today.
Video and screenshots courtesy of Burger King
