Are you ready to rot? (Cue weirdly out-of-tune guitar riff.)
In case you had any doubt about Burger King's status as the world's boldest mainstream marketer, today probably sealed it. The brand's Moldy Whopper campaign sparked more conversation than any burger ads in a long while, but the work earned its buzz the hard way: by risking potentially toxic backlash for the brand.
As with all campaigns this head-scratching, I had one key question: How the hell did they sell this? And, to that point, who sold this?
The answer involved three agencies, three surprisingly similar pitches and a three-year process that led to the furry, fetid fast food that was probably clogging your social feeds today.
I spent much today tracking down the story behind The Moldy Whopper's odd route to reality. I think you'll find it's an unexpectedly uplifting example of a brand that both challenges and champions its agencies.
My favorite comment in my interviews today was from Burger King global CMO Fernando Machado, who talked about how campaigns like Moldy Whopper might not have been possible five or six years ago, before Burger King had really proven its ability to nail the landing on potentially polarizing campaigns.
"Today we're more comfortable with being uncomfortable."
That line has stuck with me all day, because there's a lot tucked into a short sentence. Burger King has created an internal culture of advertising that's so confident in its products and point of view, agency partners feel empowered to test the edges not just of fast food marketing but of advertising itself.
That's a brand culture any marketer would feel proud of—and any agency would be proud to work on.
David Griner
Creative and Innovation Editor, Adweek
David.Griner@Adweek.com
