The infamous YouTube video shot by two Domino’s staffers cut the chain’s comp sales for the first quarter by 1 to 2%, CEO David Brandon explained during the pizza company’s conference call yesterday with analysts. However, the chain was able to collect $2 million from a business-interruption insurance policy, he added.
The clip showed an employee of a franchised unit in North Carolina fouling the ingredients of a sandwich. After being posted on the internet, the spot became a viral hit, spreading quickly and apparently scaring Domino's patrons.
The chain initially waited for the brouhaha to blow over, then realized its mistake and jumped into action. It filmed its own YouTube video, featuring company president Patrick Doyle blasting the two knuckleheads and apologizing for the food-safety lapse. He assured consumers that such shenanigans are not tolerated by the brand.
Brandon noted yesterday that the culprit and his colleague, the woman who held the camera, are being prosecuted.
“If the stupid incident down in North Carolina wouldn't have happened, we'd be here reporting significant traffic uptick,” he told the analysts.
Brandon was asked if the damage might've been more severe than a $2-million drop-off in business. Brandon indicated that the chain wanted to move quickly and put the incident behind it, so apparently didn't dicker over the settlement.
Showing posts with label viral marketing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label viral marketing. Show all posts
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
The top surprises of NRA Show '09
That familiar foot pain is back, and I still haven’t shaken my persona non grata status at the Nathan’s booth (like there’s really a Chicago law on how many franks you can give away to one person). But there were some definite surprises to this year’s National Restaurant Show:
It was a high-commerce show. There’s no doubt that turnout was down considerably from prior years. But vendors say the restaurateurs on the show floor were there to do business. Ones who I knew cited lists of what they wanted to see, from dishes to desserts to new apple products. It seems the economic downturn filtered out the half-hearted shoppers who really came for the free pens and food giveaways, or to say hello to old friends. The ones who still came were there to buy, an assertion heard repeatedly.
Even advocates are airing second thoughts about always buying local. Heightened interest in buying seasonal produce or other types of supplies from local providers was plainly evident during educational presentations or even off-the-cuff conversations. But some converts voiced second thoughts. For one thing, they said, locally grown doesn’t always equate to better quality or flavor. Others noted that some jurisdictions are now requiring foodservice operators that do business with the government to buy equipment and supplies from concerns in the area. That can take quality considerations out of the process, and the price could be a wallop if there's insufficient competition to hold down the charges.
Green and grey can co-exist. Most of the educational sessions I’d selected to attend were focused on green matters, rousing fears of being surrounded by skateboarders in iPod buds who’d call me Gramps. Yet the sessions, which tended to draw well, were attended by the tattooed and un-pierced alike. Interest in sustainability may still be more common among younger dudes and dudettes, but the industry’s green movement is snagging interest from all age groups.
Remember swine flu? The big fear of a few weeks earlier seemed like a dim memory during the show. Sure, there were the 130 hand-sanitizer dispensers that Ecolab had installed for the event, and clearly they were getting a workout. But I had only one person who balked at shaking hands, and I didn’t see one mask. Nor was the matter a common topic of conversation. I attended one education session on H1N1, and it was sparsely attended.
Viral marketing has arrived for foodservice. One of the most-talked-about presentations during Convention Week was the explanation of how a supplier called BlendTec had created a global marketing campaign with a $50 budget. As executives explained to the Marketing Executives Group , whose conference leads into the NRA Show, the solution for the company was YouTube. It posted videos that showed a lab-coated representative using a BlendTec blender to grind up things like an iPhone. Before long, fans were contacting the firm with requests of what they wanted to see minced.
The gee-wiz aspect of the campaign was demonstrated at MEG by a BlendTec representative, who turned a garden-variety garden rake into sawdust with the blender he had on stage. As a gift, he was given a box of chattering teeth--which he then put into the blender.
I didn’t attend the MEG conference, which is off the record for reporters in any case. But I heard about it from a number of people who attended. Virally, you might say.
It was a high-commerce show. There’s no doubt that turnout was down considerably from prior years. But vendors say the restaurateurs on the show floor were there to do business. Ones who I knew cited lists of what they wanted to see, from dishes to desserts to new apple products. It seems the economic downturn filtered out the half-hearted shoppers who really came for the free pens and food giveaways, or to say hello to old friends. The ones who still came were there to buy, an assertion heard repeatedly.
Even advocates are airing second thoughts about always buying local. Heightened interest in buying seasonal produce or other types of supplies from local providers was plainly evident during educational presentations or even off-the-cuff conversations. But some converts voiced second thoughts. For one thing, they said, locally grown doesn’t always equate to better quality or flavor. Others noted that some jurisdictions are now requiring foodservice operators that do business with the government to buy equipment and supplies from concerns in the area. That can take quality considerations out of the process, and the price could be a wallop if there's insufficient competition to hold down the charges.
Green and grey can co-exist. Most of the educational sessions I’d selected to attend were focused on green matters, rousing fears of being surrounded by skateboarders in iPod buds who’d call me Gramps. Yet the sessions, which tended to draw well, were attended by the tattooed and un-pierced alike. Interest in sustainability may still be more common among younger dudes and dudettes, but the industry’s green movement is snagging interest from all age groups.
Remember swine flu? The big fear of a few weeks earlier seemed like a dim memory during the show. Sure, there were the 130 hand-sanitizer dispensers that Ecolab had installed for the event, and clearly they were getting a workout. But I had only one person who balked at shaking hands, and I didn’t see one mask. Nor was the matter a common topic of conversation. I attended one education session on H1N1, and it was sparsely attended.
Viral marketing has arrived for foodservice. One of the most-talked-about presentations during Convention Week was the explanation of how a supplier called BlendTec had created a global marketing campaign with a $50 budget. As executives explained to the Marketing Executives Group , whose conference leads into the NRA Show, the solution for the company was YouTube. It posted videos that showed a lab-coated representative using a BlendTec blender to grind up things like an iPhone. Before long, fans were contacting the firm with requests of what they wanted to see minced.
The gee-wiz aspect of the campaign was demonstrated at MEG by a BlendTec representative, who turned a garden-variety garden rake into sawdust with the blender he had on stage. As a gift, he was given a box of chattering teeth--which he then put into the blender.
I didn’t attend the MEG conference, which is off the record for reporters in any case. But I heard about it from a number of people who attended. Virally, you might say.
Friday, April 17, 2009
McD's own private Domino's
By now, even people with analog television service are likely aware of the shenanigans two Domino's employees pulled last week, tarnishing the image of the the chain (and some say all of foodservice). Now it looks as if McDonald's may have to do some damage control because of a YouTube posting.
The video shows a garbage-strewn interior of a McD's unit in Australia. The camera scans a dining area that's ankle-deep in trash, then pans to a counter where customers are nonetheless still being served. The postings on YouTube (they were still there as of this morning) carry headlines along the lines of, "The Worst McDonald's."
Although the clip was filmed in Australia, it's reportedly getting big play in the United States because it was picked up by The Drudge Report, the popular muckraking (some say scandal-mongering) website.
But it's hardly the only posting on YouTube that casts a fast-food brand in an unfavorable light. Search around enough and you can probably find some bashing of virtually all the quick-service giants.
Two days ago, in the course of reporting unrelated stories, I spoke with a quick-service exec who brought up the Domino's situation. He wondered aloud if chains will now have to come up with a social media code of conduct for their employees. He didn't have to explain how thorny that would be.
But he's undoubtedly correct that the industry has to do something to address the situation. As the New York Times reported yesterday, Domino's initially figured the controversy would fade away if headquarters just ignored the original post and the early fallout. Big mistake.
I wrote to an industry association yesterday, suggesting it take the lead in airing the issue and encouraging chains to hammer out a list of best practices for addressing the situation. I have yet to get a response, which makes me think I may have to peddle the notion elsewhere.
Somehow, someway, the industry has to pool its brainpower to deal with the issue. In the meantime, the doorknob-headed perpetrators are going to continue to act, since they already have their own associations. They're called YouTube and Twitter.
The video shows a garbage-strewn interior of a McD's unit in Australia. The camera scans a dining area that's ankle-deep in trash, then pans to a counter where customers are nonetheless still being served. The postings on YouTube (they were still there as of this morning) carry headlines along the lines of, "The Worst McDonald's."
Although the clip was filmed in Australia, it's reportedly getting big play in the United States because it was picked up by The Drudge Report, the popular muckraking (some say scandal-mongering) website.
But it's hardly the only posting on YouTube that casts a fast-food brand in an unfavorable light. Search around enough and you can probably find some bashing of virtually all the quick-service giants.
Two days ago, in the course of reporting unrelated stories, I spoke with a quick-service exec who brought up the Domino's situation. He wondered aloud if chains will now have to come up with a social media code of conduct for their employees. He didn't have to explain how thorny that would be.
But he's undoubtedly correct that the industry has to do something to address the situation. As the New York Times reported yesterday, Domino's initially figured the controversy would fade away if headquarters just ignored the original post and the early fallout. Big mistake.
I wrote to an industry association yesterday, suggesting it take the lead in airing the issue and encouraging chains to hammer out a list of best practices for addressing the situation. I have yet to get a response, which makes me think I may have to peddle the notion elsewhere.
Somehow, someway, the industry has to pool its brainpower to deal with the issue. In the meantime, the doorknob-headed perpetrators are going to continue to act, since they already have their own associations. They're called YouTube and Twitter.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
McD's poke at BK Down Under
Those kooks in McDonald's Australian operations are poking a little fun at Burger King today. The fast-food giant's Down Under arm sent the media vials of what was labeled Baked Fresh Daily Essential Oil. McD's explained that the scent would replicate the aroma of Aussie stores' new baked goods line.
The ploy is reminiscent of BK's launch last holiday season of Flame, a body spray that supposedly captures the allure and sensuality of the Whopper. The scent was sold via a cosmetic-store chain in New York City and the chain's website.
But there's one big difference in McDonald's effort: It's all a joke. After all, Aussie McD's website notes, it is April Fool's Day.
Likely more interesting to competitors back in the United States are the new baked goods, offered through Australia's version of the McCafe concept. (Over there, the concept is a free-standing, scaled-back concept, not a section of a McDonald's store, as it is in the States.) The line includes Mini Muffins and Spinach & Feta Strudel.
The ploy is reminiscent of BK's launch last holiday season of Flame, a body spray that supposedly captures the allure and sensuality of the Whopper. The scent was sold via a cosmetic-store chain in New York City and the chain's website.
But there's one big difference in McDonald's effort: It's all a joke. After all, Aussie McD's website notes, it is April Fool's Day.
Likely more interesting to competitors back in the United States are the new baked goods, offered through Australia's version of the McCafe concept. (Over there, the concept is a free-standing, scaled-back concept, not a section of a McDonald's store, as it is in the States.) The line includes Mini Muffins and Spinach & Feta Strudel.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Way better than Padma
I don't know why Hardee's is bothering with yet another racing-themed marketing push when it's already using the gold standard against which all other racing commercials will be forever judged. Indeed, I can't understand why this campaign (I think we're up to episode six) isn't getting more attention. Check it out:
Friday, March 6, 2009
YouTube may be more their tube after all
Online videos are supposed to be a great leveler, allowing any pulse-bearer with a camera to become a star. Think of YouTube celebrities like “unsexy newsman” Philip DeFranco, “dance historian” Judson Laipply, or even the skateboarding bulldog.
Yet the big and supposedly un-cool restaurant chains are clearly making more of a splash in that grassroots medium than independents or regional brands. Yesterday proved the point, with the internet buzzing about this goof on KFC from Mel Gibson and Jimmy Kimmel Live!...
…and this response from KFC’s mega-sized parent, Yum! Brands:
And let’s not forget the latest from Jack in the Box, which has been on a video binge with its recent focus on the near-death experiences of mascot Jack Box:
Contrast that with this YouTube video from Pal’s Sudden Service, a regional quick-service chain with a cult following:
…Or this spot from an independent in Utah:
Clearly the big brands are digging into their deeper pockets to come up with better conceived and executed spots. Money, it appears, can indeed buy edginess.
Yet the big and supposedly un-cool restaurant chains are clearly making more of a splash in that grassroots medium than independents or regional brands. Yesterday proved the point, with the internet buzzing about this goof on KFC from Mel Gibson and Jimmy Kimmel Live!...
…and this response from KFC’s mega-sized parent, Yum! Brands:
And let’s not forget the latest from Jack in the Box, which has been on a video binge with its recent focus on the near-death experiences of mascot Jack Box:
Contrast that with this YouTube video from Pal’s Sudden Service, a regional quick-service chain with a cult following:
…Or this spot from an independent in Utah:
Clearly the big brands are digging into their deeper pockets to come up with better conceived and executed spots. Money, it appears, can indeed buy edginess.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Time to pull the plug on Jack
Yesterday I fielded my second text-messaged offer in a week for free food from Jack in the Box. Clearly the chain is missing the leadership of its orb-headed mascot/spokesman/founder, Jack Box, who’s near death after being hit by a bus. I, for one, am pining for his return. Anything to stop the yuck-yuck campaign from continuing for one more day.
I’ve been laughing along since Day One, but the joke is getting a little old. Yet I fear it’ll be milked for a few more weeks. I’m really worried the chain will replace HangInThereJack.com, the website that tracks Jack’s dire state of health, with JackInRehab.com, JackInLawsuit.com, and JackSeeksWorksComp.com.
Then again, it might be better if they did. Jack’s in a coma. There’s just not that much action to the campaign anymore. The notion may be funny, but I’m not going to watch a cam of a mascot lying in bed. Nor did I fall out of my chair in hilarity when they posted an X-ray of a huge, perfectly round head. One of the more notable restaurant campaigns of recent years is turning into the joke a drunk uncle tells incessantly at a family wedding. After awhile, you just nod.
The considerable talents behind the campaign should’ve considered more twists and turns. For instance, there are mild suggestions that Jack’s assistant, Barbara, may have done more for Jack while he was healthy than maintain his calendar. She seems to be at odds with Mrs. Box. It would’ve been a good detour to have both women unpleasantly surprised to find a mysterious female visitor one day at Jack’s bedside—a tart, clearly, and one with a square head. She could’ve made remarks about Jack resting his large refreshment on her noggin.
Instead, the campaign is getting a little stale and strained. I hate to say it, but it may be time to pull the plug on Jack.
I’ve been laughing along since Day One, but the joke is getting a little old. Yet I fear it’ll be milked for a few more weeks. I’m really worried the chain will replace HangInThereJack.com, the website that tracks Jack’s dire state of health, with JackInRehab.com, JackInLawsuit.com, and JackSeeksWorksComp.com.
Then again, it might be better if they did. Jack’s in a coma. There’s just not that much action to the campaign anymore. The notion may be funny, but I’m not going to watch a cam of a mascot lying in bed. Nor did I fall out of my chair in hilarity when they posted an X-ray of a huge, perfectly round head. One of the more notable restaurant campaigns of recent years is turning into the joke a drunk uncle tells incessantly at a family wedding. After awhile, you just nod.
The considerable talents behind the campaign should’ve considered more twists and turns. For instance, there are mild suggestions that Jack’s assistant, Barbara, may have done more for Jack while he was healthy than maintain his calendar. She seems to be at odds with Mrs. Box. It would’ve been a good detour to have both women unpleasantly surprised to find a mysterious female visitor one day at Jack’s bedside—a tart, clearly, and one with a square head. She could’ve made remarks about Jack resting his large refreshment on her noggin.
Instead, the campaign is getting a little stale and strained. I hate to say it, but it may be time to pull the plug on Jack.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Arby's burger isn't available, but merchandise is
Arby's isn't expected to roll out its entry in the burger market, the Roastburger, until March. But some entrepreneur apparently got his or her hands on some of the promotional materials a little early. For sale on eBay are tee shirts emblazoned with the announcement, "New! Roastburgers are here," emblazoned above an Arby's logo. They're selling for $22.77.
The back of the shirts carries the boast, "the burger done better."
The rollout of the Roastburger, Arby's foray into the prime market of sister brand Wendy's, hasn't exactly followed the usual steps. Free samples of a product bearing the Roastburger name were provided free to anyone who voted last November, a giveaway widely reported on the internet. A highly publicized commercial depicts a unit being warned via a frozen burger patty hurled through the plate glass window to "stop making the new Arby's Roastburger--or else." "The competition's nervous," remarks the voice-over.
And, perhaps most famously, the chain teased the Roastburger earlier this month by running a provocative full-page ad in Sports Illustrated's annual swimsuit issue. The spot has generated considerable buzz on the web.
Part of the unusualness is the product's name, which apparently was recycled from an earlier item. All the indications suggest the Roastburger will indeed be a new hamburger. But the same I.D. was apparently used in the past for an Arby's sandwich made with thinly sliced roast beef. It was touted as an alternative to the hamburger.
Then, of course, there's the matter of family complications. The Roastburger ad suggests the new item may be made with fresh rather than frozen beef, a signature of the Wendy's concept since its inception.
There must've been some interesting boardroom discussions down in the headquarters of their parent, Wendy's/Arby's Group.
The back of the shirts carries the boast, "the burger done better."
The rollout of the Roastburger, Arby's foray into the prime market of sister brand Wendy's, hasn't exactly followed the usual steps. Free samples of a product bearing the Roastburger name were provided free to anyone who voted last November, a giveaway widely reported on the internet. A highly publicized commercial depicts a unit being warned via a frozen burger patty hurled through the plate glass window to "stop making the new Arby's Roastburger--or else." "The competition's nervous," remarks the voice-over.
And, perhaps most famously, the chain teased the Roastburger earlier this month by running a provocative full-page ad in Sports Illustrated's annual swimsuit issue. The spot has generated considerable buzz on the web.
Part of the unusualness is the product's name, which apparently was recycled from an earlier item. All the indications suggest the Roastburger will indeed be a new hamburger. But the same I.D. was apparently used in the past for an Arby's sandwich made with thinly sliced roast beef. It was touted as an alternative to the hamburger.
Then, of course, there's the matter of family complications. The Roastburger ad suggests the new item may be made with fresh rather than frozen beef, a signature of the Wendy's concept since its inception.
There must've been some interesting boardroom discussions down in the headquarters of their parent, Wendy's/Arby's Group.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Jack Box's nearly dead? Buy his shoe on eBay!
Jack in the Box once famously blew up its mascot. Now it's merely putting him on a death watch and selling his clothes on eBay.
The West Coast burger chain has been waging an online marketing campaign that pivots on a tragic accident suffered by its mascot and purported CEO, Jack Box, the orb-headed character whose visage adorns a gazillion car antennas in California. As regular readers will remember, Jack was supposedly hit by a bus last Monday. His head was fractured, prompting some delicate work with a glue gun. His executive duties are being shouldered by the mysterious and bumbling Phil, who was caught on video ordering from a hot dog cart, and Jack's assistant, Barbara, who's chronicling the situation via Twitter. She's also added some sauciness by citing tensions between herself and Jack's wife. "Jack’s wife Cricket is a lovely woman who I have nothing against at all, no matter what anyone says," writes Barbara.
Now the chain is pushing the campaign a step further by reporting that a shoe Jack was wearing at the time of the accident has turned up on eBay, with bidders already offering in excess of $500 for the macabre souvenir.
Meanwhile, well-wishers are being invited by the chain to send their regards to Jack via a website tracking his hospital stay, which apparently isn't doing well. A nurse explains that a doctor's pass at a nurse triggered a dead silence in the ward. "You could hear a pin drop," she recounts. "I heard Jack flat-lining."
The West Coast burger chain has been waging an online marketing campaign that pivots on a tragic accident suffered by its mascot and purported CEO, Jack Box, the orb-headed character whose visage adorns a gazillion car antennas in California. As regular readers will remember, Jack was supposedly hit by a bus last Monday. His head was fractured, prompting some delicate work with a glue gun. His executive duties are being shouldered by the mysterious and bumbling Phil, who was caught on video ordering from a hot dog cart, and Jack's assistant, Barbara, who's chronicling the situation via Twitter. She's also added some sauciness by citing tensions between herself and Jack's wife. "Jack’s wife Cricket is a lovely woman who I have nothing against at all, no matter what anyone says," writes Barbara.
Now the chain is pushing the campaign a step further by reporting that a shoe Jack was wearing at the time of the accident has turned up on eBay, with bidders already offering in excess of $500 for the macabre souvenir.
Meanwhile, well-wishers are being invited by the chain to send their regards to Jack via a website tracking his hospital stay, which apparently isn't doing well. A nurse explains that a doctor's pass at a nurse triggered a dead silence in the ward. "You could hear a pin drop," she recounts. "I heard Jack flat-lining."
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
BK's newest weird promo
Burger King's latest viral marketing campaign seems to be a quiet tie-in with the new Steve Martin movie, "Pink Panther 2: Inspect the Unexpected." The chain is apparently giving away 30 pendants studded with diamonds and pink sapphires, though it's unclear how patrons can try to snag one. Indeed, the whole program seems tougher to figure out than Inspector Clousseau's English.
Twitterer OhThatLaura! asked BK's "voice" on the social networking site, TheBKLounge, if the rumored giveaway was real or cyber myth. TheBKLounge cited a blog post indicating that the promotion is being touted in a women's magazine.
As blogger Lisa Paladino suggested, even an advanced Google search doesn't turn up any info about the giveaway, which is supposed to run for a 30-day stretch beginning Sunday. But that's normal for these sorts of hush-hush campaigns. Indeed, a big part of their buzz seems to come from the secretiveness.
Oh, no--I'm a BK pawn again.
Twitterer OhThatLaura! asked BK's "voice" on the social networking site, TheBKLounge, if the rumored giveaway was real or cyber myth. TheBKLounge cited a blog post indicating that the promotion is being touted in a women's magazine.
As blogger Lisa Paladino suggested, even an advanced Google search doesn't turn up any info about the giveaway, which is supposed to run for a 30-day stretch beginning Sunday. But that's normal for these sorts of hush-hush campaigns. Indeed, a big part of their buzz seems to come from the secretiveness.
Oh, no--I'm a BK pawn again.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
BK sends Twitter atwitter
Twitter is still new enough to prompt a commemoration from its hyper-growing fan base of every first-ever use for the social network. And yesterday brought just such a milestone: The first use of the system for a legal action, though it's not clear if the cease-and-desist communication was genuine or a viral marketing ploy. Which is why it should come as no surprise that Burger King is involved.
For those of you who've not been converted (yet), Twitter is in essence a micro version of blogging. Members of the network post 140-character reports on what they're doing, be it getting ready for bed, pushing a new product, assessing Leno's monologue, looking for help on an illness, trying to find a job, or publishing a new full-sized blog installment elsewhere (a hyperlink can be part of those 140 characters). You're known by your Twitter name, and a lot of thinking often goes into the selection of that handle.
Depending on what you believe, one Twitter-ite made the mistake of coming up with whoppervirgin, which is also the name BK has given to the outlanders who were asked to participate in a taste test between the Whopper and the Big Mac. The taste-testers were chosen from places like Roumania, Thailand and Greenland because they'd never eaten either sandwich before--or, in at least some instances, a hamburger of any sort. Now they're stars of BK's new marketing campaign.
The social network is all, um, atwitter because BK supposedly sent a cease-and-desist communique to whoppervirgin, claiming it owned the tradename. A cease-and-desist letter is usually somewhat stiff and formal, written over an attorney's name. BK used Twitter's 140-character format. Indeed, here's the message in full: "@whoppervirgins CEASE AND DESIST. UNAUTHORIZED USE OF TRADEMARK. What is your motivation by the way...?" It was sent over BK's Twitter name, TheBKlounge.
Many Twitter fanatics, myself included, didn't even know of TheBKlounge until the matter was tweeted and retweeted (Twitter-ese for posted and reposted, respectively). Now I, and presumably plenty of other community members, are now "following" TheBKlounge, or receiving everything it tweets. Not a bad way to instantly expand your presence on a communications system that's growing exponentially.
So was there a whoppervirgin? Consider a few of its posts: "I hate soggy buns." "Got some ketchup seepage. Wondering if I need a doctor." "Got sesame seeds stuck in oddest places." "Marinating in my own juices."
What do you think?
For those of you who've not been converted (yet), Twitter is in essence a micro version of blogging. Members of the network post 140-character reports on what they're doing, be it getting ready for bed, pushing a new product, assessing Leno's monologue, looking for help on an illness, trying to find a job, or publishing a new full-sized blog installment elsewhere (a hyperlink can be part of those 140 characters). You're known by your Twitter name, and a lot of thinking often goes into the selection of that handle.
Depending on what you believe, one Twitter-ite made the mistake of coming up with whoppervirgin, which is also the name BK has given to the outlanders who were asked to participate in a taste test between the Whopper and the Big Mac. The taste-testers were chosen from places like Roumania, Thailand and Greenland because they'd never eaten either sandwich before--or, in at least some instances, a hamburger of any sort. Now they're stars of BK's new marketing campaign.
The social network is all, um, atwitter because BK supposedly sent a cease-and-desist communique to whoppervirgin, claiming it owned the tradename. A cease-and-desist letter is usually somewhat stiff and formal, written over an attorney's name. BK used Twitter's 140-character format. Indeed, here's the message in full: "@whoppervirgins CEASE AND DESIST. UNAUTHORIZED USE OF TRADEMARK. What is your motivation by the way...?" It was sent over BK's Twitter name, TheBKlounge.
Many Twitter fanatics, myself included, didn't even know of TheBKlounge until the matter was tweeted and retweeted (Twitter-ese for posted and reposted, respectively). Now I, and presumably plenty of other community members, are now "following" TheBKlounge, or receiving everything it tweets. Not a bad way to instantly expand your presence on a communications system that's growing exponentially.
So was there a whoppervirgin? Consider a few of its posts: "I hate soggy buns." "Got some ketchup seepage. Wondering if I need a doctor." "Got sesame seeds stuck in oddest places." "Marinating in my own juices."
What do you think?
Monday, December 15, 2008
Smell like a Whopper this New Year's Eve
Never again will I have to dab Whopper grease behind each ear. Now, thanks to whatever they've put in the water at Burger King headquarters, I can just stop by the outlets of a New York cosmetic-store chain and pick up a container of Flame, the Whopper-scented new body spray from the folks who gave us The King.
Yes, Burger King has launched yet another viral campaign, and this might be its weirdest of all. A new BK website uses a Barry White-like voice, suggestive wording and a pretty nifty interactive feature to push Flame, which I took at first to be a goof. But it's really, truly a scent that smells like the Whopper, and it's really, truly for sale at Ricky's, a New York-area emporium that's a favorite of young women. But don't loose heart if you're located somewhere else: The site will take you to Ricky's website, where you'll be able to buy Flame for a mere $3.99 a container.
This is going to drive my bitches crazy. And I mean that literally. Wait until my dogs get a whiff of this.
Yes, Burger King has launched yet another viral campaign, and this might be its weirdest of all. A new BK website uses a Barry White-like voice, suggestive wording and a pretty nifty interactive feature to push Flame, which I took at first to be a goof. But it's really, truly a scent that smells like the Whopper, and it's really, truly for sale at Ricky's, a New York-area emporium that's a favorite of young women. But don't loose heart if you're located somewhere else: The site will take you to Ricky's website, where you'll be able to buy Flame for a mere $3.99 a container.
This is going to drive my bitches crazy. And I mean that literally. Wait until my dogs get a whiff of this.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Burger King's weird new viral campaign
I’m functioning here as a patsy in Burger King’s latest viral marketing ploy, but I plead professional obligation. The chain is slyly spreading the message that it’ll break a campaign in a little over five days to divulge the results of unprecedented tastes tests between its Whopper and McDonald’s Big Mac.
The twist is that the subjects are supposedly “Whopper virgins”—people from remote nooks and crannies of the globe who had never tried either burger, or maybe a sandwich of any sort, before the tests. They’re the sort of people you’d see in National Geographic, standing next to their trusty yak or llama.
“If you want a real opinion of a burger, ask someone who doesn’t even have a word for burger,” explains a looped teaser running on a special website, whoppervirgins.com. “No kings. No clowns…See what people think when no one has told them what to think.”
I know the campaign will commence in less than a week because a counter on the site is ticking off the seconds, minutes, and days until a documentary based on the tests will make its debut.
The relatively sparse copy stresses that this is all real—that the tastes did indeed require 13 planes, two dog sleds and one helicopter to reach subjects in Greenland, Thailand and Romania.
I couldn’t find a word about it on BK’s website, and I don’t recall any mentions of the campaign during officials most recent conference call with investors. That’s so Old World marketing. This appears to be something new altogether.
The twist is that the subjects are supposedly “Whopper virgins”—people from remote nooks and crannies of the globe who had never tried either burger, or maybe a sandwich of any sort, before the tests. They’re the sort of people you’d see in National Geographic, standing next to their trusty yak or llama.
“If you want a real opinion of a burger, ask someone who doesn’t even have a word for burger,” explains a looped teaser running on a special website, whoppervirgins.com. “No kings. No clowns…See what people think when no one has told them what to think.”
I know the campaign will commence in less than a week because a counter on the site is ticking off the seconds, minutes, and days until a documentary based on the tests will make its debut.
The relatively sparse copy stresses that this is all real—that the tastes did indeed require 13 planes, two dog sleds and one helicopter to reach subjects in Greenland, Thailand and Romania.
I couldn’t find a word about it on BK’s website, and I don’t recall any mentions of the campaign during officials most recent conference call with investors. That’s so Old World marketing. This appears to be something new altogether.
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