Unbound Edition - Hookers and Track Marks? Yum! Who’s Up for Some Chicken Tenders?

A new Canadian print campaign for Burger King has a little something for everyone: pimps, ho’s, drug addicts and, um, self-lovers. Oooh! There’s even mockery of religious iconography. Bonus.

I dunno. I get that it’s all edgy and attention-grabby, and our friends up north are infinitely cooler than us and can get away with more in the “shock value” realm of advertising. But come on. This is Burger King. General ickiness aside, isn’t it entirely out of brand? I think we’re all thankful the company evolved beyond the nerdiness of these kinds of ads from the 80s (hey, look! Andrew McCarthy and Elisabeth Shue!), but is this a little too much for a company that serves chicken tenders to kids in the shapes of little crowns?

Then again, maybe it still is less disturbing than that scaryass “King” and his gargantuan cranium creeping around.

What do you think of these print ads? Are they a super cool sign of brand evolution for Burger King, or do they make you want to scrub yourself down with diesel fuel and steel wool?

wha?
written by Bubble Boy, December 14, 2007 10:01 AM

Yeah, those are a little skeezy. I'm already a little OCD when it comes to germs in public places, and this has me wanting to roll into Burger King inside a plastic bubble.

Where's the bee...er...brand?
written by Damp Duvet, December 14, 2007 11:48 AM

It's hard to say it's off-brand when there isn't one. Does BK have a brand? The only strongly branded fast-food chain I can think of is Hardee's. Their "indulgence" position, delivered through their ThickBurger, is echoed in its commercials when that artery-jamming tripple-patty burger plummets onto the screen, condiments dripping, or when some hot chick crams a 2/3 pound burger in her pie hole. CP B may be edgy, but until BK's actual menu reflects this edginess, the ads are the proverbial lipstick.

...
written by TJ, December 14, 2007 04:45 PM

The BK ads proabably appeal to (target demographic?) 18-25 year old males. Seems similar to Paris Hilton washing a car or an oversized beer can falling from the sky to differentiate moderate-quality products with few competitive advantages. The bigger issue to me is that the ads aren't particularly clever.

VW did a good job with its "See Flims Differently" campaign supporting independent film in the UK. My favorite in the series of ads is their alternative interpretation of Toy Story:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F30PYWYdkZ4

By the way, after initial hesitation I have developed a certain fondness for Alcoa's wig-sporting chicken leg.

Toy Story...
written by E.R., December 14, 2007 04:57 PM

Well, as long as we're on Toy Story, I recommend the mash-up between Toy Story & Requiem for a Dream.

Yeah, you read that right...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1qihwMN0JM

E.

Please recap this show!
written by PR, December 15, 2007 12:33 PM

Kristin - Please watch Dirty Sexy Money on ABC.com (they are showing the pilot and another episode). It is great and could use your recap. There's Tripp (Donald Sutherland) worth billions, his wife Tric(all this money and bad teeth), Patrick(soon to be senator)dating a transexual hooker, Karen (multi marriages), Brian,(called to serve God and in the process father a child with his mistress) in the last episode found out Mr. Darling wasn't his dad, etc. They get to the family secrets a little faster than Mad Men and it is fun to watch over and over on ABC.com.
Tell me what you think.

if you make it, they will come
written by Damp, December 16, 2007 04:04 PM

I agree BK's ads are targeting the demographic, but start by creating a menu item an adolescent will actually go batshit over. It's not enough to stay open late... create something kids want to eat at 3am. Jack in the Box did it with those grease-bomb tacos, as "out of brand" as those were. I'd argue CP B's approach would work better for that type of product.

White Castles is a good model. Stoners and drunks didn't start going to White Castles after the "What you Crave" campaign, they inspired it. Those greasy lovelies single-handedly wooed drunks long before the CraveCase materialized. Burger King is just posing and wasting ad dollars. Get these kids talking about your product first, then your ad campaign.

...
written by nicole, December 16, 2007 08:14 PM

i love the Burger King King. that's all.

fancy date
written by Theresa Voyles, January 14, 2008 01:56 PM

So, um, pay your hooker by taking her on a date to Burger King? Can't say this makes me want a 1 a.m. whopper and onion rings.