Comments on: Analysis of the Whopper Freakout Campaign http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/01/11/analysis-of-the-whopper-freakout-campaign/ An absurd look at the world of food Sat, 7 Nov 2009 00:10:15 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: rob the bear http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/01/11/analysis-of-the-whopper-freakout-campaign/comment-page-1/#comment-17354 rob the bear Wed, 20 May 2009 01:21:16 +0000 http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/01/11/full-analysis-of-the-whopper-freakout-campaign/#comment-17354 Keep it up Eick! Keep it up Eick!

]]> By: Whopper Virgins: Spare Me Your Outrage | So Good http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/01/11/analysis-of-the-whopper-freakout-campaign/comment-page-1/#comment-8900 Whopper Virgins: Spare Me Your Outrage | So Good Thu, 04 Dec 2008 23:39:38 +0000 http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/01/11/full-analysis-of-the-whopper-freakout-campaign/#comment-8900 [...] a return to the “real life reactions” concept that worked so well for them with the highly succesful Whopper Freakout campaign, which I praised as “genius” when it was first [...] [...] a return to the “real life reactions” concept that worked so well for them with the highly succesful Whopper Freakout campaign, which I praised as “genius” when it was first [...]

]]> By: Charlie http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/01/11/analysis-of-the-whopper-freakout-campaign/comment-page-1/#comment-6803 Charlie Wed, 01 Oct 2008 19:30:38 +0000 http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/01/11/full-analysis-of-the-whopper-freakout-campaign/#comment-6803 Thanks for the great analysis. I chose this campaign for my advertising class to analyze and found this article. It really helped having actual data from the ad agency! Thanks for the great analysis. I chose this campaign for my advertising class to analyze and found this article. It really helped having actual data from the ad agency!

]]> By: gromain http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/01/11/analysis-of-the-whopper-freakout-campaign/comment-page-1/#comment-2988 gromain Wed, 14 May 2008 10:22:06 +0000 http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/01/11/full-analysis-of-the-whopper-freakout-campaign/#comment-2988 hey ! thx for the great post :) the sales data are now available as Dylan was saying seems like it did actually worked hey ! thx for the great post :)
the sales data are now available as Dylan was saying
seems like it did actually worked

]]> By: Dylan http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/01/11/analysis-of-the-whopper-freakout-campaign/comment-page-1/#comment-2076 Dylan Sun, 16 Mar 2008 17:59:07 +0000 http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/01/11/full-analysis-of-the-whopper-freakout-campaign/#comment-2076 Just so you know, the second fiscal quarter sales of the whopper sandwich is up 29%. BK is of course being very modest and attributing some of the increase to their sponge bob promotions, but the dates of the spike suggest that their campaign has been much more effective than they had possibly initially thought. On a side note, I've been writing a case study analysis of this marketing campaign and found your article and research extremly helpful. Thanks for the hard work! Just so you know, the second fiscal quarter sales of the whopper sandwich is up 29%. BK is of course being very modest and attributing some of the increase to their sponge bob promotions, but the dates of the spike suggest that their campaign has been much more effective than they had possibly initially thought.

On a side note, I’ve been writing a case study analysis of this marketing campaign and found your article and research extremly helpful. Thanks for the hard work!

]]> By: StumbleUpon - Your page is now on StumbleUpon! http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/01/11/analysis-of-the-whopper-freakout-campaign/comment-page-1/#comment-1545 StumbleUpon - Your page is now on StumbleUpon! Sat, 09 Feb 2008 23:54:16 +0000 http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/01/11/full-analysis-of-the-whopper-freakout-campaign/#comment-1545 <!--%kramer-ref-pre%-->[...] Your page is on StumbleUpon [...]<!--%kramer-ref-post%--> Kramer auto Pingback[...] Your page is on StumbleUpon [...]

]]> By: So Good Blog/News Round-Up 2/9/08 | So Good http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/01/11/analysis-of-the-whopper-freakout-campaign/comment-page-1/#comment-1542 So Good Blog/News Round-Up 2/9/08 | So Good Sat, 09 Feb 2008 19:33:36 +0000 http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/01/11/full-analysis-of-the-whopper-freakout-campaign/#comment-1542 [...] Wall Street Journal notes the success of Whopper Freakout, confirming what I’ve previously written on this [...] [...] Wall Street Journal notes the success of Whopper Freakout, confirming what I’ve previously written on this [...]

]]> By: bloggingzoom.com http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/01/11/analysis-of-the-whopper-freakout-campaign/comment-page-1/#comment-1299 bloggingzoom.com Sun, 20 Jan 2008 19:44:39 +0000 http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/01/11/full-analysis-of-the-whopper-freakout-campaign/#comment-1299 <strong>Analysis of the Whopper Freakout Campaign...</strong> I was very intrigued by the viral Whopper Freakout campaign that Burger King launched in December. I decided to conduct a full analysis at the one month mark of the campaign. I contacted BK corporate HQ and their ad agency Crispin Porter to get some st... Analysis of the Whopper Freakout Campaign…

I was very intrigued by the viral Whopper Freakout campaign that Burger King launched in December. I decided to conduct a full analysis at the one month mark of the campaign. I contacted BK corporate HQ and their ad agency Crispin Porter to get some st…

]]> By: Arjewtino http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/01/11/analysis-of-the-whopper-freakout-campaign/comment-page-1/#comment-1235 Arjewtino Mon, 14 Jan 2008 19:34:21 +0000 http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/01/11/full-analysis-of-the-whopper-freakout-campaign/#comment-1235 This was a great analysis, thanks for investing so much effort into it. This was a great analysis, thanks for investing so much effort into it.

]]> By: Eick http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/01/11/analysis-of-the-whopper-freakout-campaign/comment-page-1/#comment-1229 Eick Sun, 13 Jan 2008 19:03:42 +0000 http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/01/11/full-analysis-of-the-whopper-freakout-campaign/#comment-1229 Yeah without access to sales figures my analysis was limited to the online impact it had...how often it was watched, posted, discussed, searched for etc. Yeah without access to sales figures my analysis was limited to the online impact it had…how often it was watched, posted, discussed, searched for etc.

]]> By: jason maurer http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/01/11/analysis-of-the-whopper-freakout-campaign/comment-page-1/#comment-1225 jason maurer Sun, 13 Jan 2008 10:21:59 +0000 http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/01/11/full-analysis-of-the-whopper-freakout-campaign/#comment-1225 I agree with shatraw -- just having people talk about your brand does not guarantee sales. In fact, I have the McDonald's ba-ba-ba-ba-ba song in my head right now, and I can't remember the last time I even ate fast food. So why does either brand bother trying so hard? Why not just show the product, how much it costs and where I can get it? Because they want to be my friend. They want me to like them. They know that once we're buddies, we have a relationship. Hopefully, a long-term, mutually beneficial relationship. This is the world of branding, and it's a very different function than sales. Ad campaigns that endear you to the brand (like Whopper Freakout) would fail if saddled with having to carry out the sales function. That's why you don't see a "buy now" at the end of a Coke or Bud Light ad. When you put a gun to a marketing director's head and say "Make ads that sell product today," horrible things start to happen. Their branding turns into something like an infomercial. Their ROI becomes negligible (oh, but it's measurable!), and the audience leaves the room. Fortunately, the folks at Crispin and Burger King get that first you make friends (and continue to work to keep those friends), then you make sales. How successful would Paris Hilton have been if she started her career by begging you to buy her perfume? I agree with shatraw — just having people talk about your brand does not guarantee sales. In fact, I have the McDonald’s ba-ba-ba-ba-ba song in my head right now, and I can’t remember the last time I even ate fast food.

So why does either brand bother trying so hard? Why not just show the product, how much it costs and where I can get it?

Because they want to be my friend. They want me to like them. They know that once we’re buddies, we have a relationship. Hopefully, a long-term, mutually beneficial relationship.

This is the world of branding, and it’s a very different function than sales. Ad campaigns that endear you to the brand (like Whopper Freakout) would fail if saddled with having to carry out the sales function.

That’s why you don’t see a “buy now” at the end of a Coke or Bud Light ad. When you put a gun to a marketing director’s head and say “Make ads that sell product today,” horrible things start to happen. Their branding turns into something like an infomercial. Their ROI becomes negligible (oh, but it’s measurable!), and the audience leaves the room.

Fortunately, the folks at Crispin and Burger King get that first you make friends (and continue to work to keep those friends), then you make sales.

How successful would Paris Hilton have been if she started her career by begging you to buy her perfume?

]]> By: Presidential election 2008 |Republicans Vs. Democrats » Analysis of the Whopper Freakout Campaign http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/01/11/analysis-of-the-whopper-freakout-campaign/comment-page-1/#comment-1223 Presidential election 2008 |Republicans Vs. Democrats » Analysis of the Whopper Freakout Campaign Sun, 13 Jan 2008 05:40:41 +0000 http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/01/11/full-analysis-of-the-whopper-freakout-campaign/#comment-1223 [...] of the Whopper Freakout Campaign January 11th, 2008 JP wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptYes that’s right, for almost the [...] [...] of the Whopper Freakout Campaign January 11th, 2008 JP wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptYes that’s right, for almost the [...]

]]> By: shatraw http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/01/11/analysis-of-the-whopper-freakout-campaign/comment-page-1/#comment-1220 shatraw Sat, 12 Jan 2008 23:05:17 +0000 http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/01/11/full-analysis-of-the-whopper-freakout-campaign/#comment-1220 look, i hate to keep bringing it up, but marketing success should really be measured in sales response. i mean, i know eick might say "no, it's measured by google searches and youtube views" but that's because eick works for a company that tells it's clients that. i'm not saying that's wrong, but the end game of any advertising campaign is sales -- not some abstractions about hype. (don't tell me BK needs to reaffirm it's brand. that's what the whole "king" character was for.) it's entirely possible that while this may have turned into some viral phenomenon, it didn't increase sales any more than, say, the introduction of the king character or those really trippy ads from a few years back. case in point: snakes on a plane. that movie was hyped beyond belief on the internet, yet it made a barely modest showing in the box office. new line thought it was genius. they thought from all the hype they were going to make $100mil domestic or more. they saw all that traffic as ticket sales. well, they were wrong. gross was under $60mil. they spent $33mil on the move. not terrible, but not what they thought they had... or led us to believe was going on. getting a million internet users psyched about something DOES NOT EQUAL selling anything. here's a better suggestion: how many people reading this have watched the commercials or the internet vids and then went and bought a whopper in the next two weeks that you wouldn't have already purchased? look, i hate to keep bringing it up, but marketing success should really be measured in sales response. i mean, i know eick might say “no, it’s measured by google searches and youtube views” but that’s because eick works for a company that tells it’s clients that. i’m not saying that’s wrong, but the end game of any advertising campaign is sales — not some abstractions about hype. (don’t tell me BK needs to reaffirm it’s brand. that’s what the whole “king” character was for.) it’s entirely possible that while this may have turned into some viral phenomenon, it didn’t increase sales any more than, say, the introduction of the king character or those really trippy ads from a few years back.

case in point: snakes on a plane. that movie was hyped beyond belief on the internet, yet it made a barely modest showing in the box office. new line thought it was genius. they thought from all the hype they were going to make $100mil domestic or more. they saw all that traffic as ticket sales. well, they were wrong. gross was under $60mil. they spent $33mil on the move. not terrible, but not what they thought they had… or led us to believe was going on. getting a million internet users psyched about something DOES NOT EQUAL selling anything.

here’s a better suggestion: how many people reading this have watched the commercials or the internet vids and then went and bought a whopper in the next two weeks that you wouldn’t have already purchased?

]]> By: Eick http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/01/11/analysis-of-the-whopper-freakout-campaign/comment-page-1/#comment-1219 Eick Sat, 12 Jan 2008 05:31:08 +0000 http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/01/11/full-analysis-of-the-whopper-freakout-campaign/#comment-1219 Andrew, I think that's a great observation about the potential for a user generated content portion of this. Perhaps have people submit videos of how they would freakout if they found out there was no more Whopper...as you said, could keep people on the site longer...although that would add a new level of complexity to executing the campaign. Andrew, I think that’s a great observation about the potential for a user generated content portion of this. Perhaps have people submit videos of how they would freakout if they found out there was no more Whopper…as you said, could keep people on the site longer…although that would add a new level of complexity to executing the campaign.

]]> By: shatraw http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/01/11/analysis-of-the-whopper-freakout-campaign/comment-page-1/#comment-1217 shatraw Sat, 12 Jan 2008 01:27:52 +0000 http://www.sogoodblog.com/2008/01/11/full-analysis-of-the-whopper-freakout-campaign/#comment-1217 c'mon BK, what do you have to hide? either receipts indicate an upswing in sales of the damn sammich or they don't. this is 2008. i know you get real time updates on your sales. show your cards! c’mon BK, what do you have to hide? either receipts indicate an upswing in sales of the damn sammich or they don’t. this is 2008. i know you get real time updates on your sales.

show your cards!

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