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
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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.
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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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