The BK Thief

Company: Burger King
Aired: March 2010
Channel: ESPN, TNT, TBS & more
Appeal: Humor

Ok. So I lied in a previous post. Burger King was actually my favorite fastfood place to go as a kid. Could you blame me? Ronald Mcdonald was (and still is) an extremely creepy looking clown. The bright white face with yellow and red clothes could send Freddy Krueger running.This was before the days of the Burger King mascot. For future references I will simply refer to him as The King.

A recent BK ad I spotted starring The King was one like no other I had ever come across. In advertising there is a marketing strategy which uses a negative appeal towards another company to make the advertisors product appear superior. I've seen this done countless times, especially in paper towel and car commercials. They typically won't waste time; they come straight out and say which other company's theirs is better than. Other commercials are a little more subtle like in my previous post, Battle of the Fruit. It took a little bit of thinking on the viewer's side to comprehend that the blackberry and the apple actually represented the companies: Blackberry and Macintosh. However, in this latest Burger King commercial, the message not only compliments McDonald's Sausage McMuffin sandwich but frankly states that BK is stealing their exact idea/recipe! Check it out.



The ad begins with The King dressed in all black hopping over the fence at McDonald's Head Quarters. We are then taken inside where The King is rumaging through a McDonald's file cabinet. He takes out the blue print of the McDonald's Sausage McMuffin. A voiceover comes over and states, "It’s not that original, but it’s super affordable" as The King fleas the scene on a motorcycle. I really enjoyed this ad because instead of taking McDonald's idea and trying to pass it off as their own, BK was upfront about it. Their aim was basically to announce to anyone who likes that sandwich that it is now available at McDonld's greatest competitor.

Frankie The Fish

Company: McDonald’s
Aired: February 2009
Channel: N/A
Appeal: Humor

As a child I would get excited fairly easily. I remember some of my favorite times were obviously the last day of school, snow days and hearing that wonderful ice cream man’s song turning onto my block. Wait, I left one of the best out! When my mother would turn into the McDonald’s drive through. The mere sight of those golden arches could make my mouth water. Not only was I getting an exceptionally tasty meal but a toy comes with it too? That’s right, all for around $3 you could clog your child’s arteries and provide them with a sweatshop imported “toy” that cost ten cents and someone’s finger to make.

In 2009 McDonald’s started a new advertising campaign for the Filet-O-Fish sandwich, which is served at all the fast food restaurant locations internationally. This singing largemouth bass, which goes by the name “Frankie the Fish” has become an advertising sensation. The premise of the two men having virtually no reaction to a talking fish along with the catchy song amounted to one of the most recognizable ads in the past five years. The commercial proved to be amazingly successful, especially during the Lent season. In advertising it is very difficult to become a part of pop culture, but Frankie the Fish has done just that. The Filet-O-Fish song is even available to purchase as a ringtone. While working at Bed Bath & Beyond a couple of weeks ago, I came across Frankie the Fish. He is available to purchase and with the simple press of a button, sings the exact song from the commercial.



I personally enjoyed the original ad back in 2009 better than McDonald’s 2010 version. Unless the core concept is really strong, (Geico’s mascots) repeating commercials I feel can grow rather dull. Here are both the 2009 and 2010 Filet-O-Fish ads… enjoy!

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