Robert Volten, Managing Partner, Chuck Studios.Burger King’s latest campaign is taking the old adage ‘the customer is always right’ to a whole new level.
The fast-food chain’s latest ad, There’s a New King and It’s You, sees President Tom Curtis acknowledge the chain’s shortcomings, from slow service to simple mistakes, before promising to reinvest nationwide with a customer-centric approach.
The campaign has all the ingredients to be a success: self-deprecating humour, accountability and a future-focused outlook. Yet the message doesn’t quite hit the spot.
The reason: every fast-food chain promises to put the customer first, meaning it’s no longer a point of differentiation. When a customer is hungry, why should they choose you? And the best way to answer that is by shining the light on what makes your product distinctly better than the rest.
A recipe for success
Burger King has demonstrated time and again that it is a brand with its finger on the cultural pulse. From its McDonald’s taste test reaction video to Curtis taking direct calls from frustrated customers, there’s a level of self-awareness that’s hard to fabricate.
This latest campaign’s strategy is no different. Arguably, the crowning moment is the clever use of user-generated content, with several customers shown airing their frustrations. It shows willingness on the brand’s side to actually listen (a rare skill these days).
Unfortunately, amidst all of the brand building and storytelling, one element is demoted to a side character: the Whopper. This is the real star of the show; the USP that makes Burger King … well, Burger King! The ad only glosses over the upgrades to this best-selling menu item, including the introduction of a box to prevent it from being smushed in transit.
Other fast-food chains have demonstrated what happens when the spotlight is solely on the product. Take KFC in the UK, for example. They’ve gone all-in on being the OG of friend chicken. Not the OG in delivery or quicker service – the OG of chicken. This formed the basis of all creatives, including their ‘Believe in Chicken’ series, ensuring they are the first port of call when a craving for fried chicken strikes.
Seventh time’s the charm
When it comes to branding, the ultimate goal is to be distinctive enough to be recognised sans name and logo. This is where distinctive brand assets and brand code come into play.
Codes speak to the all-important brand fluency. They are subtleties that become a mental shortcut between an advert and the brand over time. Think about it, if you saw a billboard of a beautiful beach and a surfboard, you wouldn’t automatically think Corona. But add a lime into the scene and your mind makes the association without a logo in sight.
According to ‘The Creative Dividend’, the most effective video ads (between 20-45 seconds) have at least seven distinct brand codes. This could be the same one used repeatedly, or seven unique codes.
Burger King has various brand assets at their disposal: from the short-lived “You Rule” song to ‘The King’ (more on him later). But it’s the Whopper that has the potential to be the most distinctive food asset. Together with codes such as flames and grills, these form the brand’s culinary identity. To truly own its flame-grilled USP, the chain needs to show the sizzle of the grill, and the fresh ingredients that set them apart from competitors.
Shake Shack illustrated this in a campaign it ran last year, which details how its burgers are made. While it lacked the showmanship that helps Burger King’s ad sizzle, it succeeded in putting the product front and centre.
Another code that’s incredibly successful in driving differentiation is the brand mascot. In a year when so many companies are bringing theirs back (hello again, Ronald McDonald – can’t believe it’s been decades!), it’s hard to understand why Burger King has decided to do away with ‘The King’.
While I’ll be the first to admit that he was a little creepy, it didn’t necessarily call for a firing, but for a revitalising. KFC has seen success in reinventing its beloved Colonel Sanders by having a rotating cast of actors play iterations of him. Similarly, Burger King could have made the King more approachable, perhaps trading the plastic mask for a human face?
The final takeaway on how the product is king
Although relatively well received, Burger King’s ad is medium-rare; that is to say, it’s almost there, but still a little work to be done.
Where it could really improve is by homing in on what sets the brand apart – and running with it. Brands that do this are the ones that will stand out from the sea of sameness. The most successful campaigns will be creatively satisfying, but they’ll also be full of the codes and brand flavour that cements awareness and creates memorability.
Yes, the customer is king and will always be, but never forget the product is key.
By Robert Volten, Managing Partner, Chuck Studios.
