The Burger King King Guy Scares Me Alot The Spot: It's morning. Birds are chirping. A man
wakes up in his bed … and discovers he's not alone! Next to him on the
mattress there is some sort of royal personage: a king, clad in
burgundy robes and a crown. But the king's head appears to be made of
plastic and is perhaps three times too large for his body. He hands the
stunned man a breakfast sandwich. They laugh together.
How did the fast-food wars become a frightfest? A while ago, we wrote about Ronald McDonald and coulrophobia—aka, fear of clowns. But in recent months, it's Burger King’s mascot
who's been giving people the willies. Check out the fear and loathing
that a quick blog search pulls up: "If I were to ever chop down a tree
to find the creepy King standing behind it with a nasty sandwich on a
silver platter ... well I would all of a sudden have a new use for my saw."
• "If I saw the Burger King standing at my bedroom window, behind a
tree or at the other end of a log, I think I can safely say I would freak out completely. I would never eat anything he gave me." • "If that sumbitch just appeared out of nowhere, I'd 1) mess myself; 2) kick him in the jimmy; 3) run like hell." • "The reason why I have guns
is in case I wake up and some creepy guy in a Burger King mask is
looking in my window." • "I had a nightmare last night that he was in
league with the gophers in my backyard on a mission to mock me and
destroy my lawn. He was standing at the back of my lot line with that
disturbing permagrin and sending forth squadrons of the creepy little vermin
to dig holes relentlessly." • "If someone stalked me at work, was
wearing a costume, wouldn't say a word and then tried to offer me a
sandwich, I'd call the police." • "It's just scarey [sic] to look at, especially when he pops up in all the wrong places." • "He's just a creepy S.O.B. I fear him like a clown."
But there's more to it than that. Using a ridiculous plastic head, and
an absurd situation, gives this ad an edgier mood—more ironic and
wink-wink—than that of your average fast food campaign. And that's the
goal. CPB thinks Burger King can differentiate itself with a hipper
vibe. Its competitors (namely McDonald's and Wendy's) have more
family-friendly images and thus couldn't (or wouldn't) go as far. More
Burger King marketing in this edgier mode: the Subservient Chicken Web site.
Meanwhile, when McDonald's tries to get hip, they show us kids playing
basketball on rollerblades. BK's stuff is just far more subversive. CPB
says the core market for fast food is 18- to 35-year-old males, and
these are "the most cynical" consumers out there. In setting the mood
for the campaign, CPB tries to keep in mind "the cool uncle—the uncle
who tells you how things really are, and lets you get away with a
little bit more than your mom and dad do."
How did the fast-food wars become a frightfest? A while ago, we wrote about 
