Burger King moldy Whopper campaign social media Twitter brand responses Aviation Gin Monster Energy Dude Wipes BurgerFi

Two days after Burger King released a 45-second time-lapse video showing a Whopper wilting, sagging and growing mold over the course of a month, brands have piled on with everything from accolades to swipes at the fast food giant’s bold anti-preservative campaign. The campaign, created as a joint effort between Swedish agency INGO, David Miami and Publicis to highlight Burger King’s departure from using artificial preservatives, began running in the U.S. and some European markets on Wednesday. After “The Moldy Whopper” debuted, Florida-based burger chain BurgerFi shot and edited an ad in less than 48 hours as a direct response to Burger King’s campaign. The brand, which emphasizes its use of all-natural beef, criticized its rival for alleged use of steroids and growth hormones in a “This is your brain on drugs” parody. In its quest to create a “partnership for a drug-free cow,” BurgerFi also responded to Burger King’s video campaign on Twitter—but social media responses haven’t been limited to just competing fast food chains. Ryan Reynolds’ Aviation Gin got in on the moldy Whopper action yesterday, tweeting a parody video from the brand’s social media intern who is said to have had a little too much coffee (to which Burger King responded, “...you sure it was coffee”). Our social media intern had too much coffee today. Sorry @BurgerKing pic.twitter.com/N0abg0ujVr— Aviation American Gin (@AviationGin) February 20, 2020 Responses from other brands have been a bit more abstract: BOLD— Monster Energy (@MonsterEnergy) February 20, 2020 Def call me if you eat a day 34 whopper.— DUDE Wipes (@DUDEwipes) February 19, 2020 Burger King has a history of creating buzzworthy campaigns. Last year, the brand bought 45 seconds of air time during Super Bowl LIII to run a nearly silent clip of Andy Warhol eating a Whopper in a campaign from David Miami dubbed “#EatLikeAndy.” That same year, it released a some-assembly-required ad from Buzzman for the Belgian market, noting its commitment to low prices. However, it remains to be seen if all the buzz generated online for Burger King will successfully translate into an increase in sales. An early opinion survey of roughly 2,000 Americans conducted by CivicScience this week suggests more than half of consumers are still “not at all likely” to eat at the chain in light of its removal of artificial colors and preservatives, with just 14 percent reporting that they are “very likely” to eat there now.

Brands line up to respond to Burger King’s moldy Whopper campaign

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