Happy Friday!
The grilled cheese craving was real this week, thanks to the dozens of hilarious, gooey posts in honor of National Grilled Cheese Day. In this week’s A La Carte, we take a look at some of our favorite posts and break down the recipe of Burger King’s latest campaign. Keep reading for a taste of what’s happening this week.
Social Spotlight
The king has (finally) spoken. Burger King’s famous plastic-faced king mascot has appeared in numerous commercials and advertising promotions over the years, and now he’s back for a new campaign. He’s known for nonchalantly waking up in people’s beds and not saying a word, but now he has something to say.
This week on its social media channels, Burger King announced a campaign to celebrate American Sign Language day on April 15, and finally we all understand why The King has never spoken before. The brand shared videos of The King using sign language to ask for help in creating a universal sign for the Whopper, Burger King’s iconic trademark burger.
Burger King also aired a commercial that includes The King signing, created an ASL version of its logo and even swapped the signage at several of its locations to be all sign language. This campaign is super smart, creative and interactive – we’re excited to see what the sign for Whopper ends up being!
Trend Watch: The Cheesier the Better
Tuesday was National Grilled Cheese Day, so plenty of food brands got in on the action – and the cheesier the better (literally and figuratively). Our feeds were filled with yummy, gooey grilled cheese photos and we can’t help but laugh at these intentionally corny captions:
A major trend for food brands is to chime in on these “national food day” celebrations. Playing into a fun hashtag like #NationalGrilledCheeseDay is a risk-free way for brands to engage with their audiences and the larger conversation happening online. For community managers, it’s important to keep these national days on your radar and take advantage of the ones that make sense for your brand.
PR Lesson: Ingredients of a Smart Campaign
At first glance, Burger King’s new campaign feels a little random and simply funny because The King mascot is back. But Burger King’s American Sign Language campaign is smart – for several reasons. It’s made up of some of the most important ingredients needed for a campaign recipe:
One part nostalgia
Burger King’s King has been a part of the company for decades. Although the character has undergone different iterations through time, he’s been a major focus for Burger King’s advertising. Generations have associated him with Burger King’s brand, yet he also became famous for being so silent and creepy. The brand stopped using The King several years ago, but he’s recently started popping back up in Burger King marketing material. Now, here is he again, and this time with something big to say. The public finally understands why he has never said a word in the past. Using The King to associate with this special day ties in a nostalgic character that everyone knows so well.
A spoonful of brand value
When speaking out about this campaign, Burger King executives reiterated the brand’s values. Burger King strives to include and celebrate every one, and the company felt National American Sign Language Day was a great opportunity – and they were right.
Sprinkle in a unique holiday
A campaign around National American Sign Language Day is far from overdone. Instead of blending in with the popular holidays brands try to celebrate, Burger King found a way to be different and tie in its brand with a day that doesn’t get much recognition.
A dash of funny
Burger King included just enough lighthearted humor, too. It’s been kind of…weird…that after all these years The King never said a word. Well, now the brand found a way to offer up an explanation for that, and managed to tie it into its most famous product, the Whopper. Burger King has always been known for strange humor, and the brand found the perfect balance of celebrating sign language, the Whopper and The King.
Hungry For More?
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Thanks for stopping by for this week’s A La Carte industry news! What did you think of Burger King’s campaign? Share with us in the comments!
