BK's moldy Whopper is making waves, but are they the right ones?

It’s been only a day, but Burger King’s most recent marketing push is undoubtedly crushing many of the traditional discipline metrics. Awareness, engagement, word-of-mouth, stopping power, you name it. Chances are when I say “moldy whopper,” those reading know exactly to what I am referring. That is remarkable and impressive.

For anyone who remains “out of the loop,” check out the image below for starters.

There. You’ve got it now. It’s the magic of the concept and campaign. Immediately arresting, particularly in the stop-you-in-your-scroll world of today’s marketing. The message behind the ads? Burger King announced it will remove artificial colors, flavors and preservatives from its iconic sandwich.

So, it’s the trifecta. Powerful and memorable ad/content. Cultural relevancy around food transparency and sourcing. Leading with digital. Championship marketing, right? Well, maybe.

Here’s my quick take. If you’re making this move (re: removal of artificial everything), you’ve got to communicate it. I love that BK and its partners then infused a level of creativity and boldness to how that operational move was communicated externally. Veered from the standard playbook. Applied the same bold spirit to a “corporate announcement,” as you might to far “sexier” brand news.

The question then becomes an age-old one: brand awareness/affinity vs. business goals.

Is this ad trying to sell more Whoppers? If so, who is the audience? If it’s BK’s sweet spot within the younger set, then maybe this falls flat — as opposed to say collaborations like the one we recently detailed with the DC film Birds of Prey. That is an execution with clear sales and traffic drivers that also accomplishes some brand objectives. It won’t necessarily win any awards, but connects comms to business objectives in a smart, measurable way.

Is this ad simply trying to get coverage for BK marketing and, in turn, hit a different audience? Who is it, then? The industry alone? If so, it will succeed and probably take some hardware home along the way.

One for sure takeaway is that BK keeps pushing it, which I love. Who knew a decaying burger could be a mesmerizing work of art?

[youtube=://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSDC4C3_16Y&w=854&h=480]