Burger King is using 'smoke trails' to lure customers to its restaurants

Campaign from BBH aims to remind people its burgers are flame-grilled and smoky tasting

Published On
May 17, 2021

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As U.K. restaurants re-open for indoor dining, Burger King is on a mission to remind U.K. consumers that its burgers are flame-grilled and smoky-tasting, with a new campaign from BBH that includes luring people to its restaurants using "smoke trails."

The interactive AR experience, debuting at digital out-of-home sites across all major cities in the U.K. from May 21, starts with a billboard that invites people to scan a QR code to activate an Instagram lens. Using the poster as a marker, the smoke comes directly off the Whopper and will lead them in the precise direction of the nearest restaurant. Digital production company Makemepulse created a series of directional lenses that create smoke to align with the exact positioning of the installation and lead people directly to Burger King. 

It's all part of a wider campaign centered around Burger King's smoky flavor. It includes a 20-second TV ad, directed by Andrew Gaynord of MindsEye, in which a woman discusses her conspiracy theory about why a Whopper tastes smoky (she claims it's doused in liquid smoke). It goes to explain that there are "no secrets, only fire" in the way a Whopper is cooked.

The TV ad was inspired by actual conspiracy theories about the Whopper found on Reddit. "When I first heard about the crazy conspiracy theories about the Whopper's flavor, I couldn't believe it," said Felipe Guimarães, creative director at BBH London in a statement. "Deciding to make those theories the basis for a campaign felt both insightful and quite funny."

The campaign also includes billboards, the first U.K. work to feature Burger King's new retro-style branding and typography.

Burger King OOH

 

Credits

Date
May 17, 2021
Client :
Burger King (UK)
Agency :
BBH-London
Chief Marketing Officer :
Katie Evans
Marketing Director Brand and Comms Director :
Soco Nunez
Brand Manager :
Suzi Hoy
BBH Creative / Art Director :
Wil Maxey
BBH Creative / Writer :
Elliott White
BBH Creative Director :
Felipe Guimaraes
BBH Chief Creative Officer :
Stephen de Wolf
BBH Strategist :
Laura Casado Cisa
BBH Strategy Director :
Saskia Jones
BBH Account Executive :
Lwimbo Malanda
BBH Account Executive :
Moses Odubiyi
BBH Account Manager :
Laura Huber
BBH Senior Account Director :
David White
BBH Producer :
Zaf Choudhury
BBH Assistant Producer :
Khalil Orrett
Production Company :
Mindseye
Director :
Andrew Gaynord
Executive Producer :
Hughie Phillips
Producer :
Max Yeoman
DOP :
Benedict Spence
Post Production :
The Mill
Editor :
Saam Hodivala
Editing House :
Work Editorial
Sound :
Adam Smyth
Sound :
String and Tins
BBH Producer :
Lauren Daniels
Illustrator :
Cachetejack
BBH Producer :
Susan Liu
BBH Producer :
Marta Nelson
Production Company :
Make Me Pulse
Media Agency :
Vizeum
Social credits :
Coolr
PR Agency :
Frank
Media Test Sites :
ClearChannel

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