No one would expect Burger King to let Halloween come and go without using the opportunity to troll its competitors. It hasn’t disappointed.
In Sweden and Denmark, Ingo has adapted a traditional superstition to make a frightening clown (who happens to resemble Ronald McDonald) appear in bathroom mirrors. The superstition began as Bloody Mary, a scary party game in the ‘60s – you say “Bloody Mary” three times in front of a mirror to make the ghost of Queen Mary appear. With a little help from novels and
TV series, including Paranormal Activity and The X-files, the game spread across decades. In Ingo’s version, you say “Cancelled Clown” three times in front of a mirror to invoke the ghost of “a particular clown [who] got abruptly ‘cancelled’ from his long-standing job at a certain hamburger chain,” according to Burger King. Voice-recognition software installed by Ingo in some Burger Kings recognises the repeated phrase. It dims the lights, makes a noise, and a phantom clown appears on a screen behind the two-way smart mirror. Burger King has promised to reward those who summon the scary clown.
Credits: Cancelled Clown
Agency: Ingo Stockholm
Executive Creative Director:Björn Ståhl
Art Director: Max Hultberg
Copywriter: Magnus Ivansson
Planner: Simon Stefansson
Creative Technologist: Stefan Kindgren
Account Manager: Anna Baker
Account Executive: Richard Allstrin
In the US, MullenLowe has created scary places rather than a scary clown – haunted burger outlets. These are abandoned fast food restaurants (easily recognisable as old McDonald’s and Wendy’s) located in Dayton, Ohio; Houston, Texas; Birmingham, Alabama; McHenry, Illinois and Johnston, Rhode Island.
According to the prank the scariest thing imaginable is “a burger outlet that didn’t flame grill” and all those brave enough to drive by these ghostly ex-burger outlets receive a coupon for a free Whopper. Burger King is sharing the exact coordinates of the restaurants through its various social media channels and via www.bk.com/scaryplaces and the coupon can be redeemed for delivery, a restaurant or a US$5 meal offer.
The stunt is also being promoted with press ads in local papers such as the Chicago Tribune, Northwest Herald, Providence Journal, Dayton Daily News, Birmingham News and Houston Chronicle.
Credits: Scary Places
Agency: MullenLowe US
Executive Creative Directors: Tim Vaccarino & Dave Weist
SVP, Creative Director: Enrique Camacho
Associate Creative Director: Cody Dummer
Art Director: Helen Reiger
SVP, Executive Director of Integrated Production: Lisa Setten
Executive Producer: Brian Smith
Director of Print Production: Aidan Finnan
Director of Business Affairs: Kim Burns
Senior Business Affairs Manager: Amy Keddy
Project Management Supervisor: Nicole Capone
Account Director: Alison Whisenant
Account Executive: Gil Carrigan
