Regardless of where you are in the world, you’ll find Burger King menus feature a wide range of products. In America, even the burger selection boasts more than 15 options.
But what if the brand’s customers can’t name any of them? Or at least, what if they can only name one?
Burger King’s newest international ad campaign tackles that apparent reality as a positive rather than a negative.
In a series of outdoor ads and a 90-second spot from Swedish agency Ingo, we see Burger King customers around the world struggling to name any of the chain’s sandwiches except the Whopper.
The campaign is based on a questionnaire the brand gave to customers around the world asking them to name burgers on the Burger King menu. For 85% of the participants, the only product that came to mind was the Whopper.
“I think it shows how amazingly strong the Whopper is as a product and brand,” said Björn Ståhl, chief creative officer of Ingo. “We decided to look at the study as the glass is half full.”
The video was shot in London, Mexico City, Tokyo and Stockholm, and out-of-home iterations are running in multiple international markets.
The campaign is counterintuitive in the sense that you’d expect a brand to highlight its range of products rather than the fact people don’t know about it, but Ståhl said there’s a unique branding opportunity in leaning into the potent awareness of the Whopper above even its sister products.
“It will no doubt strengthen the Burger King brand,” he said. “And we know that if you have a favourite product, you want to come back. Every time you’re back, you’re one step closer to trying something new.”
