The New Face of Fast Food

Burger King has been a consistent creator of ground-breaking and creative marketing, from Whopper Freakout to Whopper Sacrifice, from taking swings at their golden arches rival with Burn That Ad to the self-deprecating humour of their Flame Grilled Since 1954 campaign featuring genuine images of their own burned out restaurants. And their latest marketing stunt – for that is the best way to describe most of BK's left-of-field campaigns – has hit all new territory for the food category: just add mould.

If you missed it, here it is:

The Moldy Whopper seeks to capitalise on the new age of woke and the latest generations seeking out better and healthier alternatives, willing to pay more for purity.

Since rival McDonald's has long been the centre of the urban myth (and urban truth) of Cheeseburgers that never rot due to the preservatives – such as the everlasting nature of the last ever McD's burger in Iceland – the new BK campaign is clearly a shot at their competitor while also not firing a shot.

While the creative advertising community is instantly applauding BK's furry buns, only time will tell if consumers love it or hate. It's brave and breaks new ground in not only the category, but advertising at large. "Let's show our product in the worst possible light... but do it with purpose." Which could mean it it'll be a success no matter what by further positioning the brand as honest and transparent, and building brand saliency through major differentiation.

When Nike featured Colin Kaepernick in their 2018 campaign it became advertising controversy as many consumers vowed to leave the brand forever, burning their shoes (for some morons, while still wearing them) in anger. But many more liked the brand's stance, increased sales and pushed the brand's market value up by a whopping $6bn.

In 2003, Tooheys Extra Dry broke the beer advertising mould with their ground-breaking Quest ad, aka the Tongue ad. It became the most complained about commercial on Australian TV that year, and sparked pages of uproar in the letters section of national newspapers. But, under the agency's advice (BMF), they held fast and over the course of weeks the negative sentiment compelled those who loved it to speak up in defence of the ad. In the end it increased volume by 36% and sales by $20 million, and defined a new era in beer advertising.

Controversy can work when it is strategically measured and aligns with the brand's proposition and purpose. For BK, a mouldy burger proves their point. But without the quintessential saliva-inducing food shot. And while it might flush your brain with dopamine and serotonin to make you rush to Burger King for a Whopper, it'll sink further into the mouldy recesses of your brain to leave a lasting impression that this is the burger joint that doesn't add nasty preservatives.

And that will have an impact on your purchase decision long after the image of grey fuzz has left your grey matter.