Burger King Profits off of The Simpsons
The key to successful advertising is, of course, making memorable ads. This can come in a variety of shapes and forms. After all, not all ads are funny, and some of the most effective ones can actually be rather annoying. For example, “Head On” commercial literally beat “Head On, Apply directly to the forehead! Head On, Apply directly to the forehead! Head On, Apply directly to the forehead!” into the skulls of anybody watching. That commercial got so annoying, late night talkshows began airing it, just so they could poke fun at it and talk about how annoying it is. Of course, as Vince McMahon of the WWE used to point out, any press is “good” press. And Craig Ferguson and others were actually giving Head On free time. Like it or not, they helped sell that product, even though they were mocking it.
Of course, some ads succeed because they’re hilarious. That’s the case with the partnership The Simpsons had with Burger King. Sure, the Simpsons were trying to market a movie, and Burger King was more than happy to try and cash in on that. Yet, the ads were funny, whether it was Homer drooling over a whopper, or Krusty the Clown complaining about how Burger King was running Krusty Burger out of business. Still, the characters, even though shilling fast food, stayed true to their established character. And as noted earlier on this blog, those ads worked.
Recent revenue numbers, according to Associated Press, has Burger King beating it’s projected and expected earnings:
Worldwide same-store sales were up 5.9 percent, Burger King said, while same-store sales in the U.S. and Canada rose 6.6 percent.
Same-store sales, or sales at stores open at least a year, is a key indicator of retailer performance since it measures growth at existing stores rather than newly opened ones.
In the U.S., the company said its tie-in with “The Simpsons Movie” drove sales of the Ultimate DoubleWhopper sandwich.
February 14th, 2008 at 8:45 am
[...] view, because Springfield, as well as the Simpsons clan, are proven brands. Whether they’re hawking cheeseburgers or driving around in French cars, Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie have been known to be well [...]
March 13th, 2008 at 6:37 am
[...] times, one might think companies, like Burger King, would profit from associating with the Simpsons. However, this is just another case, like that of the Taurus, [...]
April 13th, 2008 at 7:09 pm
Simpsons may work better without the creepy Clown. Still Why not use The Family Man, he’s much hotter than Simpsons nowadays:
http://www.tomhcanderson.com/2008/04/12/burger-kink-too-weird-mcdonalds-not-honest-both-could-learn-a-thing-or-two-from-white-castle/