Crispin's 15 best campaigns for Burger King

Whatever your opinion of the relationship between Burger King and Crispin Porter + Bogusky—and their abrupt break-up late last week—it's hard to deny that their work together helped usher in a new era of advertising. From the iconic Subservient Chicken campaign of 2005 to the surreal Adult Swim/frat-boy humor of day-to-day BK advertising, CP+B brought bizarreness and balls-out experimentation into mainstream marketing. Unfortunately, the approach never quite proved its worth, as BK continued to drift further behind McDonald's in market share and revenue growth. A split was inevitable, but a bit regrettable. Today, AdFreak celebrates seven years of CP+B and Burger King with a list of the 15 campaigns we're still talking about, for better or worse. The King is dead. Long live the King.

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Filed under Burger King, Crispin Porter, Griner, Restaurants
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Brussels-sprouts Whopper grosses out U.K.

Led by KFC and its pile of greasy hen flesh, the Double Down, fast-food chains have been making headlines lately mostly with their unhealthy food offerings. So, naturally, Burger King has gone in the other direction, introducing a festive brussels-sprouts Whopper in the U.K. for the holiday season. The Sprout Surprise Whopper is based on the original sandwich but contains brussels sprouts and Swiss cheese. BK U.K.'s culinary development manager, Paul Rowland, explains: "We believe that taste is king, and as such, we wanted to create a recipe that would challenge existing sprout perceptions, and genuinely make sprouts a flavor to be reckoned with." Those existing sprout perceptions were not very positive. In fact, brussels sprouts were recently voted Britain's most hated food. And reaction to the sandwich hasn't been kind either, judging by comments on BK's U.K. Facebook page. Writes one visitor: "I can't believe you've put those disgusting things on top of a delicious burger. That is a crime against burgers & you make me want to puke." Another says simply: "i hate you so much."

Filed under Burger King, Europe, Food and drink, Nudd, Restaurants
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Is Subservient Chicken the best we can do?

It's list season. The One Club gets in on the act with a list of the top 10 campaigns of the "digital decade." No surprise at No. 1—it's Burger King's "Subservient Chicken." I only hope in the next, post-digital decade, everybody stops talking about that fowl. What does it say about digital creativity that the industry is still looking back to 2005, when Facebook was just for college kids and Twitter and the iPhone didn't exist? The list has few surprises, other than the absence of Old Spice. BMW's "The Hire" from 2002 is No. 2, Nike Plus is No. 3, Uniqlock and "Whopper Sacrifice" round out the top five. Crispin Porter + Bogusky is the only agency with two campaigns represented. Seven of the top 10 are American. The One Club gives the shaft to digital production shops seeking credit. There's no mention of The Barbarian Group ("Subservient Chicken") or Big Spaceship ("HBO Voyeur").

Filed under Burger King, Crispin Porter, Lists, Morrissey
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Jilted baristas stalk your BK-patronizing ass

Burger King's November promotion, Free Coffee Friday, doesn't seem to be a big hit with your neighborhood coffee-shop baristas, who turn to stalking their former regulars at work in new ads from Crispin Porter + Bogusky. The spots, featuring the burger chain's partnership with Seattle's Best Coffee, walk the fine line between funny-creepy and creepy-creepy. The actors, copywriters and wardrobe designers all deserve credit for capturing the surreal experience of being haunted by hipsters. Check out one spot below and another after the jump.

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Filed under Burger King, Crispin Porter, Food and drink, Griner, Restaurants
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CP+B again finds way in front of the camera

For all the egotism of agency life, it is a life lived in the background. Regular people have no clue who makes commercials—or really care. But Crispin Porter + Bogusky isn't afraid of putting itself front and center in client campaigns. Take its new "King of the Road" promotion for Burger King. The King is using social tools like Twitter, Tumblr, YouTube and even Stickybits in a real-time marketing experiment. The idea is, the King updates his location, and the first person to complete a task or find him earns a Microsoft Kinect gaming system. CP+B staffer Chad Hopenwaser (below) is the King's on-camera sidekick, and the intro video features other CP+B-ers working on the promotion. (We even get to meet Matt the Intern.) Other agencies sometimes use staffers on camera (The Martin Agency's Andy Azula famously played the UPS "Whiteboard" guy), but CP+B seems more grabby with it. (Previous examples: the "Shocking Barack" effort for Brammo, and Omid Farhang's hosting of a Coke Zero "Department of Fannovaton" promotion for March Madness.) The question is whether this is a smart use of resources (why pay for an actor?) or just another sign that CP+B is at least as intent on making itself famous as its clients.

Filed under Burger King, Crispin Porter, Morrissey, Restaurants
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Pitt-bull lovers barking at BK 'Mailman' spot

I guess we should have seen it coming that animal-rights activists would cry foul over Crispin Porter + Bogusky's innocuous "Mailman" ad for Burger King (posted below), in which dogs cling, well, doggedly to a singing mailman's ankles. But now the ad is drawing more specific fire. Pit-bull enthusiasts—including Shorty Rossi (above), star of the Animal Planet show Pit Boss—say the ad perpetuates negative stereotypes about the breed. In response, BK says it's "intended to be a humorous parody of the age-old 'turf battle' between mail carriers and dogs … and was not meant to cast a negative light on any particular breed of dogs." That's a bit disingenuous, considering the song's opening line is, "Rottweilers and pit bulls, doing the mailman thing." And it's curious that no other breeds were apparently available for auditions. BK clearly has just one option to quiet the detractors: create a spot in which show poodles viciously attack the King. Via Consumerist.

Filed under Animals, Burger King, Controversy, Crispin Porter, Kiefaber
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Men march and sing (again) for Burger King

There's clearly something manly and reassuringly military about men marching off someplace while singing about manliness. Whether it's in search of pants or beer, it's obvious that men love marching and singing. In fact, it's such a popular theme that Crispin Porter + Bogusky's new "Breakfast March" spot for Burger King, posted below, is basically a remake of a BK commercial they made a few years ago. The curious thing to me is how marching and singing is so very manly when it's just a few steps away from dancing and singing. You know, a musical—that thing that involves jazz hands and leotards. Just like the ass grabbing in football, it's probably best not to think too hard about it.

Filed under Burger King, Crispin Porter, Cullers, Food and drink, Restaurants
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Homely drag-queen version of you loves BK

This quite disturbing Burger King ad from Taxi in Canada suggests that buying a BK Steakhouse XT sandwich would be a good way to impress a homely drag-queen version of yourself on a hypothetical date. I'm offended by the implication that I'm cheap enough to take my dates to Burger King. Then again, it's also true that the female me would probably put out if the burger were good enough. Still, I wouldn't ruin the vibe, like this guy does, by making those cutesy talking-burger moves. I wouldn't even get a hug from myself after that crap.

Filed under Burger King, Canada, Food and drink, Kiefaber, Restaurants, Taxi
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English don't like looks of this BK sandwich

This unsavory Burger King spot, with the guy who noisily "cheats on beef" with a Tendercrisp chicken sandwich in a motel room, earned plenty of disgusted looks when it aired in the U.S. a few years ago. Now, it's airing in England—and has immediately come under fire from the Ad Standards Authority, which determined that the sandwich in the ad is misleadingly large compared to what you'd actually get at BK. In what has to be its most Freudian ruling to date—which is appropriate, I suppose, given the ad's sleazy premise—the ASA "examined the size of the burgers in the hands of an average-sized man" and found them wanting in comparison to the ad, where the sandwich is huge. In the wake of this ruling, BK will have little choice but to reshoot the ad with the tiny-hands guy.

Filed under Burger King, Controversy, Crispin Porter, Food and drink, Kiefaber, Restaurants
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Winged pig recommends Burger King's ribs

Burger King is now offering flame-grilled ribs. The almost $9 item seems an anachronism considering the fast-food chains' dollar-menu and five-dollar-combo wars (not to mention the failure of McDonald's McRib sandwich). So, how to sell them? In a rare spot that doesn't include the King or the price point, Crispin Porter + Bogusky gives us a pig with wings, who offers the ribs to a skeptical dude and squeals about the fact that they're "reeeeeaaaal." Let's skip the "when pigs fly" cliché and ask the more important question: Why does BK introduce a pig but then stop short of authentic suicide-food barbecue tradition by not showing him either a) being eaten himself or b) eating his own kind. Some barbecue aficionados will argue that the more disturbing the logo, the better the barbecue. So, why not go there? It would fit well with the Seth MacFarlane sponsorships, sexualized square butts, BDSM-oriented chickens and occasional case of morning tongue.

—Posted by Rebecca Cullers

Filed under Animals, Burger King, Crispin Porter, Cullers, Food and drink
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Burger King now serving slasher-film killers

Burger King's Middle East ad agency, Tonic Communications, took time out from making fun of stupid Americans to put together four print ads featuring slasher-movie villains to promote the chain's late-night hours. We've got Jason, Chucky, Freddy Krueger and the Scream killer, so we're just a Leatherface and a Leprechaun short of a full house of bad guys who overstayed their welcome by at least two sequels. It seems like a novel idea, though of course Burger King has based its entire marketing around a goofy, costumed psychopath for years now.

—Posted by David Kiefaber

Filed under Burger King, Food and drink, Kiefaber, Middle East, Restaurants, Tonic
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King raids McDonald's HQ for 'secret' recipe

Burger King's mascot moonlights as the king of thieves, pulling a 3 a.m. heist at McDonald's headquarters and swiping the secret recipe for a sausage, egg and cheese breakfast sandwich in this spot from Crispin Porter + Bogusky. The recipe consists of ... sausage, egg and cheese. "It's not that original, but it's super affordable," the voiceover explains. BK is offering its version for $1. (Note to self: Run downstairs, buy half a dozen after finishing post. Remember to use petty cash.) The King's wild ride to freedom on his motorbike is like something out of a wacky Peter Sellers film from the swingin' '60s. I'm pretty sure Sellers choked to death on a Whopper. For the next salvo in the breakfast wars, McD's should dispatch the Hamburglar for a spot of revenge.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Filed under Burger King, Crispin Porter, Food and drink, Gianatasio, McDonald's, Restaurants
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Big babies with tiny brains love Burger King

Here's another gem from Crispin Porter + Bogusky for Burger King. Is it disturbing? Perhaps. But it's a whole lot tamer than that commercial with the King "sexing up" square butts for kids! In the latest ad, that mommy type in the tracksuit creeps me out more than the guy playing in the sandbox. What's her story? Look, if some folks want to put on baby bonnets and onesies and play with plastic pails—if they find it helps relieve the soul-scaring agony of daily life—heck, I'll have what they're having ... and a side of fries to go! Via BNET.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Filed under Burger King, Crispin Porter, Food and drink, Gianatasio, Restaurants
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BK $1 Holidays, for when you care that little

As a person who loved getting those $5 McDonald's coupon booklets from my more estranged relatives every year, Burger King's latest dollar-menu promotion is right up my fast-food-giving alley. At BKDollarHolidays.com, you can pay $1 to send a card with an actual, genuine U.S. dollar inside to the people you care the least about. (That's not just me saying that. The site says the card "lets them know you almost care.") There's even a commercial with a creepy guy in a turtleneck (posted below). It's quite a deal, considering a card itself usually costs more than a buck. I'd send them to all my friends, if they didn't come with a dose of BK attitude. It's hard to find someone who wouldn't be upset to get the "Happy holidays, what's-yer-face" card. Fortunately for BK, every acquaintance of mine who seemed appropriate for this fits squarely within the young, male target demographic. In fact, I just sent a card to both of my bosses! Here's hoping I'm still employed by at least one of them in 2010.

—Posted by Rebecca Cullers

Filed under Burger King, Crispin Porter, Cullers, Food and drink, Holidays, Restaurants
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BK unveils septa-patty Windows 7 Whopper

Burger King in Japan is so thrilled about Microsoft's new Windows 7 operating system that it's cooked up a giant seven-patty Whopper in honor of it. According to Engadget, it will be available for seven days only, and the first 30 customers can buy it for 777 yen (that's about $8.50). For latecomers, it will cost 1,450 yen (about $17). It's not clear whether the sandwich will make it to the U.S., where rogue BK employees now seem lame for making four-patty "Quoppers" for their friends.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Filed under Burger King, Japan, Microsoft, Nudd
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No lie, Tony Stewart does love the Whopper

Today, Crispin Porter + Bogusky rolled out a 50-minute Web show for Burger King at TheTruthAboutTony.com. The brand promoted the show heavily during sports games over the past few weekends, saying it would prove once and for all that Nascar driver and BK endorser Tony Stewart really does love the Whopper. The setup mimicked the old TV show Lie Detector, with Stewart hooked up to a machine and asked questions. The site had a Digg-like system to collect questions from fans, who could vote them up or down. Stewart was deemed to be telling the truth when asked whether he's done a doughnut on public property (yes), whether he likes musical theater (no) and whether he's read a book in the last two years (nope). He was caught lying when he said he's never gone commando under the fire suit, cried after a movie of the week, had a special blanket or toy as a kid or checked out hot chicks during races. Burger King showed admirable restraint not making it all about burgers. There was a BK bag on the set and a logo on Stewart's shirt. Of the 30-odd questions, five came from the brand. The entire program led up to asking Stewart whether he really loves the Whopper. He does! All in all, it was pretty entertaining, even for someone who has never watched a Nascar race in his life, though it probably lasted a bit too long and at times seemed contrived. No doubt there's a novelty factor at play here with the live Web video, so I'd guess we'll see more. If you missed it, BK is replaying it tonight at 9 p.m. ET.

—Posted by Brian Morrissey

Previously on AdFreak:
Practically anyone can endorse Burger King

Filed under Burger King, Crispin Porter, Food and drink, Morrissey, Restaurants
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Practically anyone can endorse Burger King

Burger King's new campaign from Crispin Porter + Bogusky is a goofy bit of meta marketing in which celebrity endorser Tony Stewart, the Nascar driver, explores the nature and reliability of celebrity endorsements. In the spot above, he gives Carrot Top and Erik Estrada tips at the Tony Stewart School of Endorsements. You come away from it mostly wondering what the hell happened to Carrot Top. It looks like he's been flavoring his coffee with the same poison that ravaged that Ukrainian guy. The spot below suggests that Stewart decided to endorse the Whopper rather than a contraption called the Sockmaster 2000. Both ads imply, somewhat comically, that Stewart himself—adviser to D-listers, would-be sock steamer—is pretty lame as celebrity endorsers go. Still, it should be fun on Oct. 20, when Stewart will submit to a live polygraph, broadcast online, that will determine once and for all whether he does actually like the Whopper.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Filed under Burger King, Celebrity endorsements, Crispin Porter, Food and drink, Nudd, Restaurants
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Men with small parts always welcome at BK

The guy with the tiny hands is back in a couple of new Burger King ads from Crispin Porter + Bogusky. He first appeared in this 2007 spot, where he was reluctant to eat a BK double cheeseburger because it made his already-small appendages look even smaller (and was taken aback by his friend's offer to "hold it for you"). In the new ads, it's the Whopper Jr. that fuels his feelings of embarrassment and inadequacy. His bitter father (above) and his friends (below) try to convince him that Burger King is the place to go even for those who have tiny parts.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

See also:
Whopper Jr. gets poked and prodded in shopping-network spots

Filed under Burger King, Crispin Porter, Food and drink, Freaky, Nudd, Restaurants
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After ad beef, BK apologizes yet again

One of the week's oddest marketing stories played out with Burger King apologizing for posters showing the goddess Lakshmi after the Hindu American Foundation called the ad "highly disrespectful and offensive to Hindus worldwide." The poster, which appeared only in Spain, showed Lakshmi hovering over food with the phrase "la merienda es sagrada" ("the snack is sacred"). So let me lay this on the line for you: an American foundation took issue with an ad that appeared in a grand total of three restaurants—in Spain. And the global news media didn't exactly set new standards for accuracy. Some outlets reported that she's eating or about to eat the sandwich. Even the U.K.'s Telegraph, which published a picture of the ad with its coverage, claimed she's munching on the treat. Though it appears to be a ham and cheese sandwich here, it's reported as a burger—which is bad, since Hindus have this thing about cows. What's more, the press dredged up BK's Texican Whopper controversy from April where a midget wrestler wore a Mexican flag cape and Mexico was all like, "Oh no, you didn't!" Thanks to the Internet, local ads can now offend the global community. If only it was as useful at spreading ads when there wasn't any controversy. Speaking of controversy, who could forget BK's last tempting bite?

—Posted by Rebecca Cullers

Filed under Burger King, Cullers, Food and drink
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BK kitchen becomes a giant killing machine

Robots and obits are two of my regular beats hear at AdFreak. They go hand in hand, as robots are dedicated to the destruction of mankind. Which brings us none too smoothly to Burger King's tie-in with Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. My colleague Rebecca Cullers has noted the "conspiracy" aspects of the campaign and warned us of "a series of worldwide robot sightings." Oh, it's far worse than that, people. As our flesh-and-blood world reels from the loss of the King of Pop, the metallic monsters have found their king: the Burger King! He's been robotized to massive proportions—transformed, if you will, into a digitized death-dealing demon! Someone would probably die if a giant King smashed through a BK like he does in the spot above. There’s be chaos and confusion, at any rate. And then my chance of getting no pickles, already abysmally low, would decline even more. Robots. They'll spoil your meal every time.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Filed under Burger King, Food and drink, Gianatasio, Robots
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Spot any suggestive imagery in this BK ad?

Also not the subtlest ad ever made: this Burger King poster now making the rounds online, for something called the Super Seven Incher. Copy: "Fill your desire for something long, juicy and flame-grilled." It's from Singapore. It's not from Crispin Porter. And it's not competing for a Lion at Cannes. Source: Flickr's joezandstra, via @michaelGregoire.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Filed under Asia, Burger King, Food and drink, Nudd, Restaurants
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The King gets less gentle with dudes in bed

So, Burger King, possibly as a response to people calling their mascot creepy, now have him ambushing strangers in their beds in the middle of the night, as ominous horror-movie music plays. Look, we understand BK is open late now, but air-horning us back into consciousness is a dick move. What if we'd gotten a Whopper earlier that afternoon or something? The King has certainly turned into a real tosser since those days when he lovingly served us breakfast in bed. BK ads have established a pattern lately wherein the consumer is inconvenienced or assaulted by something representing the product, and aside from a cheap laugh or two, we're not sure what they've gotten from it. Perhaps it will all eventually culminate in Ashton Kutcher getting kicked in the balls by a giant BK Stacker. That would redeem all of their efforts up to now.

—Posted by David Kiefaber

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Burger Kingons torment bachelors of Earth

A partnership between Burger King and Star Trek seems valid, seeing as how their audiences probably overlap about 90 percent. Apparently, the love child of this unholy union is the Kingon, a new race of plastic-faced freaks who raid bachelor pads for collectible glasses and disinterested girlfriends. You can get a sneak peek of the Crispin Porter + Bogusky commercial (and a pre-roll ad) above, via The Wall Street Journal, which reports that BK will be a marketing partner to three summer blockbusters: Star Trek, Transformers 2 and G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra. Can't wait for BK's G.I. Joe ads, which will surely have killer taglines like "Now you know, and knowing is half the Whopper," or simply, "Eat like Cobraaaaa!"

—Posted by David Griner

Filed under Burger King, Crispin Porter, Food and drink, Griner, Restaurants, Star Trek
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U.S.-Mexico relations strained over BK spot

This European ad from Crispin Porter + Bogusky for Burger King's Texican Whopper is honestly pretty harmless, but it has Mexico up in arms about its people being portrayed as tiny luchadors who wear their flag like a cape. It's the first cross-border advertising dispute since that infamous Absolut ad from Mexico City. We've seen worse stereotyping of Mexicans, though. And Consumerist is right to ask what kind of cowboy can't open his own jars. But it's worth pointing out that chaps are buttless by design, so that's not insulting, either. At least he wore them over pants.

—Posted by David Kiefaber

Filed under Burger King, Controversy, Crispin Porter, Food and drink, Kiefaber, Restaurants
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Happy 5th birthday to Subservient Chicken

Time flies on the Web. Five years ago today, Burger King's Subservient Chicken first graced us with his presence. Not only was the chicken a seminal moment for interactive creativity, it also marked the beginning of the ongoing slugfest between ad agencies and digital shops for credit. You might recall the story: Crispin Porter + Bogusky dreamed up Subservient Chicken but the Barbarian Group actually made it—and played a big role in coming up with the idea. Many spats followed over where credit should lie. It was the same story for many digital projects that followed, whether it's HBO's "Voyeur" or OfficeMax's "Elf Yourself." Rick Webb, a founder of the Barbarian Group, commemorates the S.C. anniversary with an exhaustive blog post (13 footnotes!) recounting how the chicken was born. It's a messy tale, without a sketch on a napkin. "If you ask me, the mystery is more about why everyone wishes it was a single person in an ah-ha moment," he writes. "We get that a lot still. People want it to be dramatic. As if doing things methodically until you get a great idea is disappointing. As if coming up with a good idea should be easy."

—Posted by Brian Morrissey

Filed under Barbarian Group, Burger King, Crispin Porter, Subservient Chicken
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