Sales data can tell you some things about what customers think of your product, as can focus groups and customer surveys. But how do you really gauge how just deeply your customers care about you? Burger King’s answer was to take that product away.
In a recent stunt (a curious fusion of market research and marketing) Burger King made one of their US branches a “Whopper Free Zone”. Using hidden cameras, they simply recorded the reactions of their customers upon being told “Sorry, we no longer serve Whoppers.” As the clip illustrates, the contorted disbelieving faces tell more of a story than answers on a survey every could. The stunt was aptly named the “Whopper Freak-out!” So, what we have is an innovative market research approach, using, you’ve guessed it: the Subtraction tool.
For those of you familiar with the “Got Milk?” advertising campaign from Goodby, Silverstein and Partners, you’ll notice an interesting parallel. This famous campaign managed to convince the milk-drinking public that it was in their best interests to keep an extra carton of milk handy. In advertising terms, they created a series of TV commercials depicting the miserable consequences that can befall you if you “ain’t Got milk”. Say, when your mouth chokes up while eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and you’re unable to give the winning answer to a $10,000 dollar radio quiz. “Got milk?” Well, next time better make sure you’ve got some around. In SIT’s advertising terminology we call this the Inversion pattern – whereby the ad dramatizes just how bad it is not to have the advertised product. For those sharp eyed SIT tool-hawks out there, yes, Inversion is very similar to Subtraction.
The Burger King “Freak Out” and “Got Milk” campaigns show how a little Subtraction, can be a powerful way to add value to the challenges facing your product and brand.
Gosh…kinda how I felt when I went to a Walmart McDonalds that served breakfasts only to be told they didn’t serve Egg McMuffins, to which I replied: Well then, what DO you serve?
…the missing Whoppers?
this is a good way of measuring customer loyalty.
i love it
Excellent presentation. Pithy and to the point. Effective.
The “Whopper Freakout” campaign, created by Crispin Porter + Bugowsky, won the “Cyber Lion” in Cannes 2008. BTW, BK’s 2009 campaign was “whopper Virgins”: a documentary about people first taste of a burger: http://www.whoppervirgins.com/ both campaigns used a new and innovative way to deliver the brand message.
Good stuff!
The first impression after reading the content, “hidden camera” — is it not a privacy issue?
Market Research need to have values about privacy.
When I looked at video, one of the participant was interviewed later and he made aware of this. I hope everyone whom they pictured have been intimated about the Camera and picturization.
I agree it is innovative way to gauze customer pulse.
very cool~ thank you for sharing. And now to try this inversion idea for my own business.