No Whoppers, no peace in latest BK effort While there’s nothing entirely innovative about Burger King’s new Candid Camera-style viral hotness, I have to give the company credit for having the solid brass pair of whoppers to actually greenlight the thing. In “Whopper Freakout,” Crispin Porter + Bogusky uses hidden cameras to find out what would happen if BK customers were told that the trademark Whopper had been discontinued. It’s a fun gag, and it actually does inspire some people to wax profound about their deep, enduring love for the 50-year-old burger. But come on. Wouldn’t you be ticked anywhere if you ordered something and they wouldn’t give it to you? My favorite part is when someone orders a Whopper but is given a Wendy’s burger, which is then demonized by both the customer and the BK worker. Like the conversation would have been different if you ordered a Whopper and they put a wet plunger in your bag. Customer: “Hey, I didn’t order a plunger.” Employee: “Yeah, plungers are much grosser than Whoppers, right?” Customer: “Um … yes?” —Posted by David Griner

December 11, 2007 in Griner | Permalink

Comments

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Mediocre. Just like the Whoppper.

Posted by: Frumpy. | Dec 11, 2007 3:59:39 PM

No whopper? What a great day for America. Seriously though, this is just a new take on the "Got Milk" campaign. And a cousin to their Coke work in which a lawyer is filmed without knowing he or she is being put on.

Posted by: pete shotton | Dec 11, 2007 4:59:26 PM

who cares about the product, I enjoy people who think like the long haired guy, with the laugh and the eye glance and the yea.

Posted by: | Dec 11, 2007 5:24:04 PM

Yes, This is derivative of that Coke ad. Which was derivitive of their Truth work. How much do you want to bet this started as "A world without Cigarettes" and then was recycled as "A world without Cokes" before it became "A World without Whoppers"?
Looks like "Crispin Ad Formula 5" is being used here. Or was it formula "4"?

Posted by: Colt Seaver | Dec 11, 2007 5:24:09 PM

We did'nt get all those other campaigns in New Zealand, or maybe I was asleep, so this was the first time I have seen this idea. I thought it was really quite good. I agree with Mr Griner, does take cojones to do it. I suppose thats why it worked.

(didnt see the whole thing. minus points?)

Posted by: | Dec 11, 2007 6:01:39 PM

I've never quite understood what ad people mean when they say an ad "worked"? It always sounds so certain, but it really means nothing.

Does "worked" mean that you personally liked it? Or that your rational brain understood some literal sales proposition when you watched it? Or that you actually have research that shows that sales went up and it was effective?

I like ads that are entertaining and fun to watch. I didn't really find this Burger King ad to be that funny and it was too long for me to sit through. I got bored a little into it. There were a lot of interviews with people standing around talking about how great the Whopper is and how McDonalds and Wendy's burgers suck. I'm sure the client loved it, but compared to Punked or Candid Camera, the reactions from people not getting a Whopper really weren't that surprising. My opinion might not really matter anyway. Maybe it "worked"?

Posted by: Huh? | Dec 11, 2007 8:36:29 PM

it worked for me. I wanted to leave my Wendy's trash at a Burger King table tonight. I didn't. But I was tempted.

Posted by: | Dec 11, 2007 10:18:05 PM

I loved the tv spot that was just a quick bunch of cuts of customer reactions. The web video bored the hell out of me. I don't care about the behind the scenes crap. It seems like they were concerned about making themselves famous instead of just the product.

Posted by: thatguy | Dec 12, 2007 10:29:13 AM

This is brilliant. Should win the Grand Prix at Cannes.

Posted by: Big Al | Jan 6, 2008 11:38:15 AM

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