Did Burger King bite of more than it can chew?

Morning,

This week on the podcast, we talked about LinkedIn’s favorite brouhaha of the week: The Burger King ad.

I covered the campaign in the latest letter, pointing out its somewhat awkward timing alongside the GrubHub campaign on the same topic—postpartum meals.

But what I didn’t know at the time I hit publish, was what an internet meltdown it would cause.

For the uninitiated, we give a little background on the Burger King campaign, what people are missing, the discourse that’s happening around it, and what if anything, we would have done differently.

Also, for fun, given that the BK team likely did not expect this firestorm, we chatted with our favorite good friend Jeanne Meyer, a Crisis Management consultant. We got her POV on the campaign and what advice she’d give any brand facing a situation like this.

Quick to what strikes your fancy!

If you prefer Apple or Spotify you can listen there too.

02:03 - A little context in case you’ve been under a rock.

04:23 - The insights behind the BK campaign.

05:47 - A woman’s right to choose—her meals.

08:17 - How the BK insight got lost and why that matters.

10:13 - Playing up your insight in the creative.

12:13 - Mom shaming and how, formula brand, Bobbie combats it.

15:08 - Should Burger King respond (more on that below!)

16:40 - How brands should build a position before a campaign like this.

19:20 - Empowerment versus shaming in marketing.

Interview with Jeanne Mayers:

Jeanne Meyer is a communications coach, crisis management consultant, and founder of Authentic Intelligence LLC. She formerly led global communications at companies like Martha Stewart Living Omnedia and EMI Music.

We were eager to get her POV on all of this:

Chris & Kirsten: So, what do you think of the Burger King campaign and the controversy around it? 

Jeanne:

I'm not sure that my point of view is one you will share! It does what advertising is supposed to do.  The brand is cheeky. Burger King staked its business on being a fast food brand and indulgence.  The ads are absolutely true to that voice. 

And people are talking about it.

The ad community appeared to really love it, and it was well covered (positively) in the trades the day the campaign broke. 

The "controversy" is an added bonus and likely intentional. It's getting tongues wagging on social and news stories and keeping awareness high.  So it's getting a lot of earned media.  

And if there's ever been a subject to invite very strong opinions, it's breast-feeding!  

I personally avoid fast food, and I'm really careful about nutrition, but as a mom, this clicked!  Those women just performed life's most heroic act! If there was ever a time to let her "have her way" this is it. 

I can see how this may have been designed as a troll trap.  I'm seeing lots of comments from women accusing some of the male commenters who are critical of the campaign of not being allowed to have an opinion because they've never given birth!

Chris & Kirsten: Actually, we’re quite aligned. What’s your take? In a case like this, do you expect a brand to respond?  

Jeanne:

Potentially.  Right now (as of this writing) I don't see a need.  

If I had been part of the team and seen the campaign, I would've absolutely been prepared with a reactive statement well ahead of time.  

If there had been a report of a mom getting seriously ill from eating one of the burgers, or if state attorneys general filed suit against Burger King for some reason related to the campaign, that's a whole different story, but neither of those things happened.

Over-reacting to a situation is a common comms mistake. Every situation is different, but I often have to strongly counsel against it. Criticism is often in the form of what I call a "vocal minority." It can be really uncomfortable to hunker down and not engage when critics arr coming for you, but in many, many cases, it simply makes sense to monitor the market carefully and stay reactive. Very often it blows over.

Chris & Kirsten: How would you have handled it? 

Jeanne:

Well, the campaign itself is visually raw and authentic and open about a beloved (motherhood) and controversial (breastfeeding) subjects, so this is a case where you'd need to keep comments open on social media and hear opinions from all sides.  I would be shocked if they didn't anticipate some kind of blowback. 

It was interesting that they commissioned research showing what mom's wanted right after giving birth. And while the research was clearly self-serving, it backed it up the campaign with a data point.

Again, I would stay reactive as I believe they are as of this writing.  Prepare a statement attributed to "Burger King UK." Focus on this being a celebration of mom and giving her what she needs and wants.  Stay away from nutrition.

Chris & Kirsten: Granted we think it was made with all the best intentions but are there any lessons or bits of advice you’d give to marketers when they are launching a campaign like this? 

Jeanne:

When you build intentional controversy into a campaign, make sure you activate your comms and legal teams.  Monitor social very closely. Keep the controversy very organic or as a brand will look very "thirsty" and it will fall flat. 

Chris & Kirsten: Closing words of wisdom?

Jeanne: Make sure you have a devil’s advocate on your team who can poke holes at just about anything that could go wrong.  Listen! And be prepared.

That’s all, folx.

Very curious to hear all of your thoughts about this campaign and the response to it.

- Chris

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