Knock off ads seem pretty par for the course for Burger King, but its newest spot for its 'Double Quarter Pound King' is a hilarious funeral-themed ad. The ad was designed to showcase the new burger and takes a nice jab at the McDonald's burger that it bears an uncanny resemblance to. The resemblance goes beyond appearance, as the Double Quarter Pound King bears identical ingredients, with the exception of having flame-grilled patties.
While the ad is hilariously dark, it does carry a sense of subtly with it. It does not directly target the McDonald's Quarter Pounder, just the way in which the patty is cooked. This ad focusing on the cooking process is nothing new to fast food advertisements, but the funeral-themed ad by Burger King does seem to accomplish the same message in a hilarious and subtle way. This ad, and product in general, seems to be a sort of "trolling" of Burger King's competitor, and takes influence from the parody and dark humor that so many modern consumers love.
Funeral-Themed Burger Ads
Burger King is Promoting Its New Sandwich in a Dark and Hilarious New Ad
Trend Themes
1. Dark Humor Advertising - The funeral-themed ad by Burger King demonstrates the effectiveness of using dark humor in advertising campaigns, presenting an opportunity for brands to experiment with this disruptive approach.
2. Subtle Competition Tactics - Burger King's ad subtly targets its competitor, McDonald's, by highlighting a point of differentiation - the cooking process, illustrating an opportunity for brands to find unique ways to differentiate themselves from their competitors.
3. Parody Marketing - The Burger King ad takes influence from parody marketing, showing an opportunity for brands to incorporate humorous and satirical elements to engage modern consumers.
Industry Implications
1. Fast Food Chains - Fast food chains can explore dark humor in their advertising campaigns to grab customers' attention and differentiate themselves from competitors.
2. Marketing and Advertising - The use of subtle competition tactics in advertising campaigns can be applied across various industries to create engaging and effective marketing strategies.
3. Food and Beverage - The success of the funeral-themed ad by Burger King suggests that incorporating parody marketing elements can be an effective way for food and beverage brands to appeal to modern consumers.