Think Burger King and you think Whopper. But here’s a fun fact. In spite of receiving very little promotion by Burger King, the Chicken Royale is consistently one of the restaurant’s best-selling burgers in the UK, and has far more fan responses on the internet. BBH could have turned made a big deal about that with the usual 30 seconds of food porn, featuring a golden chicken fillet gently landing onto a bed of crisp iceberg lettuce. But it’s BBH. It didn’t. The agency has used the Whopper’s far greater fame in a wonderfully human campaign, We Give Up. The campaign highlights just how much effort Burger King UK has put into making the Whopper famous; spending millions over the decades, and dubbing itself the Home of it – only for certain diners to consistently choose the Chicken Royale when they visit a restaurant.
We Give Up is running in a TV and cinema commercial in which the hero travels through eras from the 1960s to the 2020s, bombarded by Whopper ads. Nevertheless, as it comes to place their order, he asks for a Chicken Royale. The idea is carried through to out-of-home executions. Diners blissfully enjoy their Chicken Royale burgers oblivious to wall-to-wall print ads of Whopper promos.
In press, Burger King is introducing the first-ever Chicken Royale Day’ a last-minute replacement for the regularly scheduled Whopper Day, driven by customer love. To honour the much-loved burger, on Wednesday June 7 the Home of the Whopper is offering fans a Chicken Royale for just £1 in the UK via the Burger King app.
While We Give Up acknowledges the diehard fans’ devotion, BBH reminds the rest of the UK of the delicious simplicity of the Chicken Royale – 100% chicken breast wrapped in a special crisp coating, topped with iceberg lettuce, creamy mayo, and crowned with a toasted sesame seed bun. (All the while, reminding everyone of Burger King’s flame-grilled namesake.)
The campaign will run in the UK on television, OOH, social press and print, over a 10-month period.
Felipe Serradourada Guimaraes, deputy executive creative director & partner, BBH London, stated, “The King’s crown jewel has been replaced. Sorry Whopper.”
Soco Núñez de Cela, brand and communications director, Burger King UK, added, “At Burger King, we’ve heroed our iconic Whopper for decades. This year, we wanted to flip the status quo and celebrate a fan favourite, the Chicken Royale instead. This simple but self-aware idea reminisces on Whopper through the years while reminding guests that, while we may be The Home of the Whopper, we are also home to the most loved chicken burger in the UK, The Chicken Royale.”
Credits:
Client: Burger King UK
Brand & Communications Director: Soco Núñez De Cela
Chief Marketing Officer: Katie Evans
Senior Brand Manager: Suzi Hoy
Advertising Agency: BBH
Chief Creative Officer: Alex Grieve
Executive Creative Director: Helen Rhodes
Deputy Executive Creative Director: Felipe Guimaraes
Copywriter: Oliver Short
Art Director: Jennifer Ashton
Designer: James Parkinson & Josh Bailey
Planners: Saskia Jones & Laura Casado Cisa
Business Lead: James Rice
Account Director: Laura Huber
Account Manager: Zimini Fongho
Film Producer: Victoria Doran
Assistant Film Producer: Rebecca Ellis
Print Producer: Lauren Daniels
Print Assistant Producer: Micah Waring
Media Planner: Iprospect
Production Company: Riff Raff Films
Director: The Sacred Egg
DoP: Benjamin Todd
Executive Producer: Jane Tredget
Producer: Kate Brady
Editor: Sam Bould
Editors: Final Cut Edit
Post-Production Company: The Mill
Post-Production Producers: Louise Unwin, Saskia Delius
2D Lead Artist: Carl Norton
3D Lead Artist: Andy Steele
Grade: The Mill
Colourist: Philip Hambi
Sound Studio: String and Tins
Sound Engineer: Adam Smyth
Music Composer: The Infinity Orchestra
Music Supervisor: Jacob Wheeler
Music Company: Major Tom
Photographer: Lou Escobar
Print Production Company: Canada
