Burger King Goes The Extra Mile: Marketing Masterstroke or Mistake?
Ever heard of Good Samaritan Day?
Neither have we. Apparently it was a few days ago, and in celebration of this little-known holiday, Burger King released an ad:
The concept behind this commercial was to reward those good Samaritans who stopped to assist the driver of an overheating car. Once they veer to the side of the road, the altruists realise that the billowing smoke is actually pouring out of a grill, which has been set into the car’s bonnet.
Burger King has claimed that this ad was a real life social experiment, however we’re doubtful. Everything seems just a little bit too perfect. Namely, the King emerging from behind a cloud of smoke and the multiple travelers that attend to the scene with fire extinguishers in hand (where did they come from??).
Also, the fact that these civilians don’t seem to notice the team of camera operators surrounding the car, is a dead giveaway.
And if we’re getting super technical, unless the onlookers were strapped with microphones, the camera shooting from across the road wouldn’t have been able to record their dialogue.
All of this aside, the concept is phenomenal! This quirky video joins a series of other activations that Burger King has been rolling out over the past few months. Another was when. Burger King decided to gift their biggest social media fan an entire restaurant and year’s supply of burgers.
If Burger King can sustain this degree of quality advertising (and KFC fail to source more chicken) they will be on the path to taking the ‘real crown’.
This ad has it all, packed into a neat 60 second package. There’s the drama of the overcooked engine, the humour of the prank and the warmth of the kind gesture. And, who doesn’t love a company mascot with an oversized head?
So, for these reasons, this week, it’s a Marketing Masterstroke.
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