Why The King is the King

Your humble host of The BeanCast found himself in an odd situation the other day. Because if you've listened to my marketing podcast, you know that I am the first to question the tactics taken by Crispin Porter + Bogusky. Yet here I was on Twitter debating with someone why one of their oddest campaigns — the Burger King work — is great branding.

Irresponsible Branding?

The conversation started for me when Craig Wood made the following statement on Twitter:

The sentiment is not uncommon. While many creative-types laud the work done by the hot shop, there are many more out there who question their tactics. But I gave Craig's comment even more weight, because he is a professor of advertising and public relations at Indiana University. I don't know his reputation, but I would assume he might know a thing or two about the subject of branding.

As our conversation continued, he went on to make several more salient points like this:

And then:

Now I'm not a fan of the Sponge Bob work. And more than once I've had to go WTF to some of the other spots I've seen for the Burger King brand. I just don't get it. It doesn't resonate with me.

But recently I've come to understand that this is exactly the point! I am not the market. Of course I don't get it. But more importantly, I've come to the conclusion that just because I don't get a brand, or that I feel a brand is be portrayed in a juvenile way, doesn't make the work bad branding.

It's All in the Targeting

Before we look at the work, let's consider the brand charge laid before the agency. The way I understand it they were supposed to target those late teen boys and 20-30-year-old males who perceived themselves as too old for the clowns and cute characters of McDonald's, but were still playful enough not to have moved into adult restaurant brands.

Let's take this apart. If you're a boy who has outgrown clowns, but still has an immature streak, what do you do? In today's world that means you're a bit of a rebel. You like the irreverent. You prefer things that mock the establishment.

Powerful Differentiation

Enter the king. He's like the anti-Ronald. He is creepy and odd. He wakes up in bed with adult men and hands them breakfast. It's implied he's been sleeping with your wife. He is everything that McDonald's is not.

Talk about differentiation of your brand in a mature space dominated by your competition!

They didn't try to beat McDonald's or even compete with them in their strong areas. They instead staked out a leadership space in a part of the market that was wide open. They assumed confidence and dominance right from the outset. And they transformed the brand from the brink of death to growing sales and winning customers in their targeted demo.

Speaking to the Core Truths

I've said in a recent blog post, that good branding always reveals a basic truth about a brand. Just going with a weird or fun commercials may achieve immediate results, but in the long run it builds nothing of lasting value.

It would be easy to look at the Burger King work and say that it falls into the latter category. It seems so random. It's "bathroom humor." Yet the voice is consistent across the work. We are the counter-culture brand of fast food. We are the fun alternative that speaks to your young-male needs.

Staying Focused on the Core Audienc

Even when the work seemingly goes off the deep end, they maintain this focus of message and targeting. Case-in-point, the recent Sponge Bob work:


The obvious question here is, "How does this sell children's toys?" It's lewd. It's inappropriate. I would never let my daughter see this commercial. Yet it perfectly targets their core market with consistency of voice.

This commercial was never meant for kids. I dare say, the spot most likely never ran during kids or family programming. Think about it! Even the Sponge Bob tie-in was chosen not because of his appeal to younger demos, but because he is tremendously popular in the targeted demos. Young adult males LOVE Sponge Bob. Plus remember, the purpose of a character tie-in is not to move toys, but to move food. This spot was all about extending the idea that this is a brand in-touch and relevant to your life — musically, hormonally and mockingly.

And that last point is worth calling out. To most of us "older" folks, we look at those girls shaking their bottoms and think the brand is using sex to sell. There certainly is an element of this. But in contrast to the medium it draws from (the typical rap video) this commercial is not sexual at all. This is parody. And everyone in the target market gets it. If anything it enhances the core message that "this brand gets me!"

Looking Beyond the Controversies

Admittedly, this need to create news and controversy around a brand seems a bit egregious. There are certainly ways in which a brand can communicate core truths to its market without pushing the boundaries like CP+B does. Many branding efforts are very successful without creating controversy. But I have to admit that love it or hate it, the Burger King ads are excellent examples of creating, maintaining and growing a brand. Because when you move past the hype, the work always delivers on all the fundamental elements of solid branding.