by CJ Peradilla
Famous for flame-grilling burgers, American fast food chain Burger King released in its latest print campaign, ‘Flame-Grilled Since 1954’, a set of photographs of some of its stores on fire.
Photographed mid-emergency and on fire, the Burger King sites hail from Italy, Oregon and Pennsylvania in 2004, 2015, and 2016, respectively, with no serious casualties.
David Maine, the ad agency behind the campaign, notes that Burger King has been involved in fire accidents more than any other fast food chain since 1954. The campaign, while borderline alarming, serves as a reminder that indeed, Burger King’s patties have always been flame-grilled.
This campaign isn’t the strangest of the bunch that Burger King has released, to date.
SubservientChicken.com, an advertising program launched by Crispin Porter + Bogusky in 2001, featured a man sitting in his living room, instructing a person in a chicken suit to behave as he pleased.
In 2009, the food chain released, and, subsequently, canceled the Sacrifice a Friend for a Whopper campaign, where if one unfriended 10 people on Facebook, they would get a Whopper for free. The worse part is once someone’s been unfriended, they would be notified they were let go of simply for a free Whopper.
A more recent suggestive ad surfaced in Singapore in 2010, featuring the BK Super Seven Incher placed strategically in front of a woman in profile, mouth agape. The mistake, apparently, emerged from Burger King’s misconception of its demographic as males aged 18-24. Almost immediately, the campaign received backlash from people of the internet.
Lately, to boost sales, the food chain has been releasing unusual food combinations, like the Mac n’ Cheetos, a dish Burger King apparently “stole” from food-related content creator, The Vulgar Chef.
