One of the worst ads of all time by fast food chain. Embarrassingly bad.

BK ad shows that fast food can not only taste bad, it can also be in bad taste. Whoa.

Bon-Food Pte Ltd is the authorised franchisee of Burger King in Singapore. This is their website and the source of this image:

http://www.bon-food.com.sg/promotions/promotions.aspx

On their website they touch on who their target is: "In Singapore, the bright and vibrant Americana décor has made our restaurants the favourite meeting place for young people, including college students and working professionals." OK, so it's not families or young children (I guess), but this ad is still insulting to teens and young professionals. Where's the respect for your customer? Even putting the objectification of the woman in the ad aside, this ad is poor simply because it's so, well, stupid. It's too easy and too old; it's not clever. Is this Burger King? Really? Who on earth at Burger King thought this would be a good idea? Unless... if the goal was to make an ad so utterly stupid and bad that everyone will talk about it. If so, well done. I guess I just do not understand the BK brand (or I do not understand their market). Are they saying that since our food is so unremarkable, let us change the conversation away to anything but the actual product?

About the poster...

A Poster, must (1) get attention, (2) be understood, (3) be remembered and finally (4) we hope a desired action is taken. Usually designs fail to even get the first one, attention (there's a lot of noise out there). But if the ad (poster, billboard, etc.) does get noticed they are not always read/understood (and therefore not remembered). This one is an interesting: They really got our attention and we will remember the ad, but I'm not sure I understand what it means beyond the *obvious* sexual reference. So, they got my attention and I will remember it, but I'm not sure what "it" is, therefore, I'm not sure how this translates into sales. Along these lines, here's a comment from Advertising Age before this ad was out: "With Burger King, Crispin has been very good at cutting through the clutter, but it hasn't positioned the brand very well."

Here are some links to past Presentation Zen posts related to posters/billboards:
• Learning slide design from an IKEA billboard
• Train to Osaka: Finding inspiration in Japanese print ads
• Japanese "smoking manners" posters redux: simple graphics in a sea of clutter

Jun 23, 2009

Chris Guimarin said...

It doesn't help that it looks like a blow-up doll.

rickfromsa said...

definitely...it's like the word for word translation of "Coke adds life" in Mandarin Chinese...(Coke brings your ancestors back from the dead)

Imokon said...

Just like Quizno's current TV ad - trying too hard by depending on sex appeal alone as of late.. Gatorade was much more subtle about it.

Jun 24, 2009

Adolfo Foronda said...

Nice, I took a pic of this one a while back http://adolfo.posterous.com/billboard-fail

demetrios1 said...

Change the gender, race in any ad - if it still doesn't work, don't do it.

e.g.: No one would dare run ads w/ women being hit/kicked in the crotch. And they shouldn't do it w/ men.

NameYourTale said...

Pretty bad, I'll agree, but you've gotta give it to BK for the most ballsy campaigns of any fast food place in the last several years. Starting with the creepy king character waking up in your bed. Then the midgets selling meat and cheese and meat and cheese. And don't forget the Whopper Virgins!

bparrott78 said...

Not to mention -- as a dude, I don't want to chow down on something being used as a phallic symbol in advertising...

mehleem said...

In a twisted way it's kinda funny! if it'll work...so be it! but i don't get the " Where's the respect for your customer?..." what in the world do you mean? where is the lack of respect for women?! is sending us thinkin of oral sex , so what?!?!

said...

This isn;t Burger King, it's a company with the right to their name in Singapore. BK is more clever than this.

haysoos said...

Wow, all I hear from this article and comments is homophobia and sexual repression. They are probably targeting one of the 800 billion people that watch, *GASP*, porn. Seriously, it's a hilarious ad, and all of BKs "offensive" ads have been hilarious. They are taking a risk, making an ad that will probably banned somewhere, but that fact will give the ad more promotion (like this, I hadn't seen this ad and probably wouldn't have had you not made an article on how "bad" it was, thus you are giving them free advertising), and make it more acceptable with the "counter-culture" that avoids being advertised to.

Its a genius ad for people that aren't afraid of a world where everything isn't kid friendly. Because thats what this boils down to. In a pure adult context, the only people that wouldn't like this ad are homophobes like bparrot78, or the people that think a little crude humor is beneath them. Given the amount of money National Lampoon movies make, I don't think you can say the majority of people are "above" this ad.

I mean, c'mon, I would buy it, and before eating it I would probably make a joke about cupping the b*lls (I assume it should be censored since people here seem a little over sensitive), and enjoy the sandwich. Seriously, lighten up, take a joke.

Jun 25, 2009

I live in Singapore, when I saw this ad a couple weeks back I pointed it out to the guys in the office - Singapore is still pretty conservative and the media gets fined periodically for stepping outside the realm of propriety. I was betting this one would draw fire but if it drew any general complaints it was really low key, things are changing around here :)

I'm a Singaporean and I personally find this ad to be one of the worst I've seen in Singapore. Considering local ads are already sub standard, this ad really deserves to be called "One of the worst ads of all time by fast food chain. "

And about what they said on their website about them being a popular meeting place, its definitely not true. In my personal observations, compared to other fast food places, BK is one of the most deserted. The only time you see a packed BK is when there are no other fast food options available.

Its saddening to see them use a sexually suggestive ad just to get back on to the radar. I mean can't they use the Burger King in BK's ads? I know sex sells but this is just so distasteful.

aarondavies said...

they're probably competing with carl jr.'s "thick-burger" singapore ad campaign, which features lines like "some like it long, but all like it thick".

this is one of the funniest fast food ads that I have ever seen.

Jun 28, 2009

JimmyPodcast said...

I'm not sure if the ad works, but I am hungry all of a sudden.

Garr’s posterous

One of the worst ads of all time by fast food chain. Embarrassingly bad.

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