The Year’s Boldest Ad? Burger King Dethrone Their King

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How do you kill off a Fluent Device? It’s not a question we address much at System1, where our advice is usually to invest and build in your distinctive assets given how much of a difference consistency makes. But there are occasions when a brand mascot or idea comes to the end of its useful life – when the brand is hoping to shift its targeting or brand image, for instance. Scrapping Fluent Devices shouldn’t be done lightly or routinely – but sometimes it’s a necessity.

Which brings us to Burger King, agency OKRP and the new “There’s A New King And It’s You” campaign. As the name suggests, the brand’s King mascot is out of work, and the crown is being passed over to Burger King’s customers. The ad stars Burger King president Tom Curtis, who gave his phone number out to customers last year so they could text him with their ideas for what BK needed to change. That shows up in the ad too, which acts as a summary of all Burger King’s “Reclaim The Flame” relaunch work so far as well as a tribute to the brand’s glory days.

While some brand relaunches only look to the future, Burger King want to acknowledge the mis-steps of the past: they know customers won’t buy the relaunch unless they’re candid about why it’s happening. The brand moved away from its customer-oriented focus, Curtis says, and he apologises for that. Which is why The King, introduced in 2004, has been deposed.

With the monarch overthrown the ad can finish on a positive note, talking about the new Whopper – another customer-led initiative – and ending with that renewed promise to customers that they’re the Kings now.

With its self-critical streak, it’s one of the boldest ads we’ve seen this year, and one of the riskiest. Audiences don’t always want brands to talk about themselves, and might not believe the claims of a Burger King comeback. They might even have a soft spot for the King! But Tom Curtis’ sincerity comes across and the ad scores a very good 3.8-Stars on our Test Your Ad platform, above the norm for the fast food category. By the end, any negative emotions have faded away and the upbeat message of change is resonating.

But if the customer is King now, the next step is getting them through the doors of their Kingdom and enjoying a meal. That’s where the other Test Your Ad metric come in – short-term Spike Rating, which predicts sales boosts, and Brand Fluency, which makes sure people know what the brand is.

On both those measures, Tom Curtis, OKRP and their teams have reasons to smile. On Spike Rating and Brand Fluency the ad scores an Exceptional rating: it’s dynamic, motivating and highly recognisable. “There’s A New King And It’s You” is very effective at getting customers to notice Burger King and give the brand and its new message a hearing.

So what about the old King? Well, he’s taking a long rest. But the thing about Fluent Devices is that even when they’ve outlived their purpose, they’re still a brand asset, ready to use if future marketers feel the need. If in a decade or two Burger King decide a spot of nostalgia for the King is in honor, he can always return for a Royal Visit.