Critics Cringe at Ad for Burger King's Latest Sandwich

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
NFS4

NFS4

No Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
72,636
47
91
Ad in question :)

An advertisement for Burger King's latest sandwich leaves little to the imagination and should be discontinued due to "distasteful" and unappetizing references to oral sex, advertising experts told FOXNews.com.

The print ad for the "BK Super Seven Incher" ? a limited time promotion in Singapore, a society known around the world for its strict government controls of social conduct ? shows the "mind-blowing" sandwich near the open mouth of a wide-eyed, red-lipsticked woman accompanied by the suggestive tagline: "It'll blow your mind away."

"Fill your desire for something long, juicy and flame-grilled," the ad continues.

Mark Duffy, a blogger and an advertising copywriter at a major New York City firm, said the advertisement is among the "worst" he's ever seen in more than 17 years of industry experience.

"I've seen a lot of sexual innuendo ads and this is about the worst, especially for something as mainstream as Burger King," Duffy told FOXNews.com. "I was a little repulsed by it. It's really misogynistic to women and it's also unappetizing."

Duffy said it appeared the woman's face in the advertisement had been retouched to make it look like a doll and that the American cheese on the sandwich seemed a little too white.

"It's outlandish," he said. "They obviously didn?t hire a top-notch food photographer."

Duffy, who called on Burger King to terminate the ad, said there's little else marketers could have left to the imagination.

"It's really distasteful on the appetite level and on the social level," Duffy said. "The ad pretty much speaks for itself. How much more do they have to spell it out for you?"

Lauren Kuziner, a spokeswoman for Burger King, said the campaign was produced by a local Singaporean agency and not by the company's U.S. advertising firm, Crispin Porter + Bogusky.

"Burger King Corp. values and respects all of its guests," Kuziner said in a statement to FOXNews.com. "This print ad is running to support a limited time promotion in the Singapore market and is not running in the U.S. or any other markets. The campaign is supported by the franchisee in Singapore and has generated positive consumer sales around this limited time product offer in that market."

Kuziner declined to identify the Singapore-based firm and did not respond to requests for comment on whether Burger King had received complaints in connection to the advertisement.

Meanwhile, Scott Purvis, president of Gallup & Robinson, a marketing and advertising research firm in New Jersey, said the print pitch went "too far" and seemed unusual for a global brand like Burger King.

"This would be the kind of ad you might see for a smaller brand trying to get itself noticed," Purvis said. "It's probably something that wouldn't see the light of day in this country."

Purvis praised Burger King for its advertising "edginess" and he said sex in ads is an effective way to get consumer attention, but he noted that advertisements on average are recalled at a 20 percent higher rate if they contain sexually explicit images or messages.

"But the problem is, the advertisements, as a group are not as persuasive as all advertising," he said. 'It stops and gets people's attention, but they generally don't go further and get any kind of motivation of interest in the product itself."

Previous marketing campaigns by Burger King have included its award-wining "Subservient Chicken" viral video, spots featuring "Whopper virgins" and most recently, an appearance by rapper Sir Mix-a-Lot and SpongeBob SquarePants. Other slogans previously used by the fast food giant include "Have It Your Way" and "It Takes Two Hands to Handle a Whopper."

"They've done some good stuff in terms of helping to break out of the stereotypical type of advertising you often see, but occasionally they seem to go too far and other times they get it exactly right," Purvis said. "And that's what happens with edgy advertising ? you just don't know where to draw the line."

Mark Crispin Miller, a professor of media studies at New York University and author of a forthcoming book on the marketing campaign behind the "Marlboro Man," said the ad reeked of a "certain desperation" just to make an impression.

"This is really straining to be dirty," Miller told FOXNews.com. "This is objectionable because it's outrageously exaggerating the pleasure of Burger King. It's not that good, even as food, and therefore nowhere near as gratifying as an orgasm. There's no doubt they intended a double entrendre."
Click to expand...
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,529576,00.html
 
S

Steve

Lifer
May 2, 2004
15,945
11
81
That's nothing. When I was in Scotland eight years ago, BK had a promotion with special drinking straws that would change color to indicate which prize you'd win. The name of it was SUCK IT AND SEE.
 
nakedfrog

nakedfrog

No Lifer
Apr 3, 2001
61,305
16,809
136
"I've seen a lot of sexual innuendo ads and this is about the worst, especially for something as mainstream as Burger King," Duffy told FOXNews.com. "I was a little repulsed by it. It's really misogynistic to women and it's also unappetizing."
Click to expand...

Apparently we don't all share the same definition of misogyny. Or he just likes using big words.
 
GagHalfrunt

GagHalfrunt

Lifer
Apr 19, 2001
25,284
1,997
126
Not even close to being over the line. Now if there was a mans hand on the back of her head pulling her onto the sandwich...


 
SunnyD

SunnyD

Belgian Waffler
Jan 2, 2001
32,674
146
106
www.neftastic.com
Funny that "Fox News" would be reporting on something distasteful or "outrageously exaggerating".

This is par for the course with BK ads though, more power to them.
 
oogabooga

oogabooga

Diamond Member
Jan 14, 2003
7,806
3
81
Originally posted by: GagHalfrunt
Not even close to being over the line. Now if there was a mans hand on the back of her head pulling her onto the sandwich...
Click to expand...

and another holding the sandwich in place....

 
SunSamurai

SunSamurai

Diamond Member
Jan 16, 2005
3,914
0
0
Its not about being uptight really, its just unappetizing. I like my sexual innuendo in their proper places. I dont need sexsexsex tossed at me from a food place. The people calling others uptight for that must have a food fetish.
 
H

herkulease

Diamond Member
Jul 6, 2001
3,923
0
0
are they gonna put out a video? the spongebob sir mix alot one is way way better. and its selling a kids meal.
 
PricklyPete

PricklyPete

Lifer
Sep 17, 2002
14,582
162
106
Originally posted by: SunSamurai
Its not about being uptight really, its just unappetizing. I like my sexual innuendo in their proper places. I dont need sexsexsex tossed at me from a food place. The people calling others uptight for that must have a food fetish.
Click to expand...

no...you're just uptight.
 
D1gger

D1gger

Diamond Member
Oct 3, 2004
5,411
2
76
OMG ... when will people stop this PC crap. That add is in no way disgusting and is only mildly suggestive.

These people complaining just need to calm down and get a life.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom