BrandSniper: Whopper Virgins

Here we go again: More big marketing without a big idea.

By now you've probably seen the TV ads for the "Whopper Virgins" concept. The premise: In a taste test with indigenous people from the most remote corners of the globe - people with, ostensibly, no prior knowledge of the existence of the fast-food giants - who wins, Burger King or McDonald's?The TV spots attempt to drive visits to the WhopperVirgins.com website. Once there, you'll find copy like this:

"To find out about America's favorite burger, we had to leave America."

Cue Ron Burgundy: "That doesn't make sense."

Think about it: Are you likely to be convinced to switch your burger preference based on the palate of a Thai villager who has never had a burger before? I didn't think so. But Burger King apparently thinks so. Or they don't think so at all, and they're looking for PR value as opposed to real behavioral change.

WhopperVirgins.com also offers this nugget: "See what people think, when no one has told them what to think." And there's a countdown clock: "The world's purest taste test results in X days..."

Note the logic: Burger King suggests that we consumers have been told "what to think," no doubt by advertising. But if we could eliminate those advertising-impregnated preconceived notions, we would have "purity." And how does Burger King make this case? With advertising.

It's an interesting position for one of the world's largest advertisers to take. And by "interesting position," I mean "slippery slope." Burger King, you are not a victim of the perceptions that advertising creates, you are a benefactor. Attempting to cast yourself as anything but is wildly disingenuous.

"Whopper Virgins" is not an inexpensive campaign, once you factor in the costs of traveling to all those remote areas with a film crew in tow. Yep, the campaign also includes a documentary, which will soon "reveal" the results of the taste test. (Gee, I wonder who wins? The suspense!)

This is stunt marketing gone mad. The intent is to create buzz, and nothing more. But creating buzz is very different from creating behavioral change. Let Burger King burn its money however it wishes - you should hold your own advertising to a higher standard.

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