Burger King’s 'Real Meals' are designed for people who aren't happy all the time
The new offerings coincide with Mental Health Awareness month
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The Home of the Whopper is introducing "Real Meals" meant to match people’s moods. In a way, they're polar opposite of competitor McDonald's feel-good Happy Meals for kids. They acknowledge the fact that consumers aren't "happy all the time" and are targeted toward customers who won't necessarily get a lift from getting a toy with their burger and fries.
There’s the Blue Meal, for those feeling down; the DGAF Meal, for people who don't care; the Pissed Meal, for angry eaters; the Salty Meal, for those a tad upset; and the YAAAS Meal. (Ok, so that last one is kind of a take on happy). Each of the five “Real Meals” comes with the same food: a Whopper, fries and a drink.
While they're a fun idea, the meals also bring light to an important cause. The campaign breaks May 1 to coincide with the beginning of Mental Health Awareness Month, and BK says it partnered with Mental Health America on the effort.
The work was created out of MullenLowe U.S. and includes a music video-like film, "Feel Your Way." Shot in 35 mm, it showcases people undergoing various emotions, sprinkled with doses of humor. Running online, it starts a bit bleakly with a guy talking about how not everyone wakes up happy. As it progresses, more characters express a variety of feelings and the soundtrack builds. There’s a teenager bubbling up with anger at high school, a woman who hates her boss, a guy stuck living at home, another with dating troubles, and a young mom who doesn’t like being judged (“take your opinions and suck it, world”).
Burger King’s full branding isn’t revealed until the end of the video, though wide-eyed viewers might spot an old Burger King logo on a t-shirt in one of the high school hallway scenes. BK says the “Feel Your Way” chorus is a throwback to the “Have it Your Way” song used in the brand’s 1970s commercials (have a listen here).
While the campaign is airing broadly on social media, the actual boxes are only available at five restaurants total, in Austin, Seattle, Miami, Los Angeles and New York City.
The campaign is BK’s latest work tying the chain and its Whopper to social issues. In the past BK has used blank Whoppers to promote voting in Brazil, charged women more to battle the "pink tax," called attention to people being bullied, explained net neutrality, supported the LGBTQ community, cheered on Saudi Arabia's first-time female drivers, and promoted Peace One Day with its Peace Day burger.
As the campaign has rolled out, it's gotten praise from some fans, but ended up pissing people off too, with some complaining that BK is piggybacking on a serious issue to sell burgers. “We are not really making money with this campaign," BK Global CMO Fernando Machado told Ad Age. Rather, it’s about “raising awareness to the fact that it’s ok to express your emotions and that you don’t need to be happy all the time.”
One main goal was to help get the word out alongside Mental Health America, and "just the fact that people are talking so much about the campaign demonstrates that we are accomplishing part of our objectives,” he says.
Credits
- Date
- May 01, 2019
- Client :
- Burger King
- Agency :
- MullenLowe
- Global Chief Marketing Officer :
- Fernando Machado
- Head of Global Brand :
- Marcelo Pascoa
- Head of Marketing :
- Renato Rossi
- Advertising, Media and Communications :
- Diego Suarez
- Media, Traditional, Digital and Social, :
- Jorge Oliveira
- Social Media and Digital Marketing :
- Flavia Guetter
- Advertising and Merchandising :
- Nicole Alevizos
- Advertising :
- Liza Keller
- Media, Traditional and Digital :
- Madeline McDermott
- Chief Creative Officer :
- Mark Wenneker
- Executive Creative Director :
- Tim Vaccarino
- Executive Creative Director :
- Dave Weist
- Executive Creative Director :
- Scott Hayes
- SVP Group Creative Director :
- Scott Stripling
- SVP Creative Director :
- Enrique Camacho
- SVP, Creative Director, Digital and Social :
- Dustin Johnson
- Associate Creative Director :
- Jennifer Macfarlane
- Associate Creative Director :
- Cody Dummer
- Director of Integrated Design :
- Michael Molinaro
- Associate Creative Director :
- Allison Hughes
- Sr. Copywriter :
- Tara Nelson
- Art Director :
- Britney Drotleff
- Copywriter :
- Vanessa deBeaumont
- SVP Executive Director of Integrated Production :
- Lisa Setten
- SVP, Head of Integrated Production :
- Zeke Bowman
- VP, Executive Producer :
- Brian Smith
- Sr. Producer :
- Vera Everson
- VP, Director of Art Production :
- Tracy Maidment
- Director of Print Production :
- Aidan Finnan
- Content Producer :
- Abbey Daniel-Green
- Animator :
- Ryan Dight
- Animator :
- Andrew Lee
- Sr. Photographer :
- Erika LaPresto
- Digital Imaging Supervisor :
- Nick Bleil
- Sr. Digital Imaging Artist :
- Alex Abdalian
- Senior Production Artist :
- Nat Novak
- VP, Group Strategy Director :
- Mike Cassell
- Social Content Writer :
- Arielle Mulgrew
- Senior Business Affairs Manager :
- Amy Keddy
- Sr. Project Manager :
- Kelly Benson
- Project Manager :
- Tia Coulter
- VP Account Director :
- Kerry McKibbin
- Account Supervisor :
- Alison Whisenant
- Sr. Account Executive :
- Caroline Bailey
- Account Executive :
- Leila Chee
- Production Company :
- m ss ng p eces
- Director :
- Jared Knecht
- Editorial :
- Friendshop!
- Editor :
- Alex Pirrone
- Assistant Editor :
- Lauren Hayes
- Assistant Editor :
- Josh Nowlan
- Motion Graphics :
- Rebecca Bolde
- Managing Director/Executive Producer :
- Melissa Mapes
- Producer :
- Laura Shackleford
- Color :
- MPC New York
- Colorist :
- James Tillett
- Color Producer :
- Jenna Gabriel
- VFX :
- MPC New York
- VFX Supervisor :
- Rob Walker
- Compositor :
- David Anger
- Producer :
- Carlos Zalapa
- Original Music :
- Butter Music & Sound
- Managing Director :
- Ian Jeffreys
- Composer/ECD :
- Tim Kvasnosky
- Executive Creative Director :
- Aaron Kotler
- Chief Creative Officer :
- Andrew Sherman
- Audio Post :
- Sound Lounge
- Sound Design/Mixer :
- Tom Jucarone
- Producer :
- Alicia Rodgers
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