Why Burger King’s Moldy Whopper Campaign is ‘Growing’ on Us

We are all too familiar with fast food joints enticing us with their giant, yellow arches, cheap chicken nuggets, and, of course, pristine pictures of mouth-watering burgers. Recently, however, Burger King made major headlines by launching an ad campaign that made our mouths pucker in disgust rather than water in delight. Before you go and ‘break the mold’ by launching a campaign like Burger King’s, let’s look at a framework to help you evaluate your next ad before launch. 

This useful framework can be remembered by asking yourself, “Does my ad have SOLE?”. SOLE stands for Stopping power, Obvious Benefit, Linkage, and Equity. Let’s breakdown Burger King’s nasty ad as an example.

Stopping Power

Without attention, the other elements of your ad won’t matter. There are few things that would make us watch the entirety of a 45 second ad, but this green, fuzz-coated Whopper is certainly one of them. Make sure your ad can grab a consumer’s attention right off the bat.

Obvious Benefit

The benefit of using your brand should be clear and obvious in your ad. As a bonus your ad should also show who the benefit is for. We think everyone can see the benefit of not having a Whopper that lasts as long as the 10-year-old McDonald’s Iceland burger. Burger King did a great job helping consumers visualize the tangible, non-moldy benefits to having a burger free of artificial preservatives.

Linkage

Any ad with ‘sole’ needs to give consumers a reason to believe in your brand that links back to the product benefit in a convincing way. Burger King’s high-quality time lapse video indisputably gives consumers a reason to believe that their burgers are made with more natural ingredients, and that consumers will be better off for it. Even more disturbing than the hairy hamburger on display would be a hairless hamburger that has gone through the same 30-day test.

Equity

Ads with equity should fit with what your brand is about and not detract from what you have built in the past. Finding healthier ingredients for menu items is nothing new for Burger King’s brand. The Impossible Whopper is a perfect example of Burger King’s healthier aspirations. Burger King’s brand has been known to push consumers’ expectations, and we think that the boldness of the ‘mold-ness’ is right on brand.

We’re sure that if you use this simple ad framework, consumers will stop giving you the ‘mold’ shoulder and your brand equity will be better ‘spore’ it. Carefully assessing your advertising’s effectiveness is vital to successful marketing strategy.