Version: 2008

Comments on: The dark secrets of Whopper Sacrifice

One of the brains behind the wildly successful Burger King Facebook ad campaign talks about how the key to its wildfire spread was a combination of simplicity and cultural pervasiveness.

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by andrew.mager April 3, 2009 1:25 PM PDT
I got my burger coupon and put it in the CNET kitchen, and it was gone faster than I could uninstall the application.
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by jezzur April 7, 2009 10:10 AM PDT
Whoppers are pretty tasty. I would only lose friends if the Whopper had both cheese and bacon... no, make that 2 lots of bacon.
by dean.collins April 3, 2009 1:45 PM PDT
I'm surprised people felt hurt that they were worth less than 1/10th of a whopper.

When was the last time you spoke with some of your 'virtual' friends?


Dean
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by JayWes April 5, 2009 4:02 PM PDT
Lets see, a Whopper is about $2.00; so a friend is only worth 0.20? A firend in atime of need is a friend indeed; a friend any other time is worth less then a quarter. Well at least it is more then a plug nickel.
by April 3, 2009 1:45 PM PDT
Very well written article. I haven't done much with facebook but I've eaten my share of whoppers. Now if they just move this to twitter...
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by SlimGem April 3, 2009 1:59 PM PDT
I love that picture. Anyone ever see a Whopper that looked like that? In reality they appear to have been carried in someone's back pocket for a week. I haven't eaten there since they ruined the fries with that paste flavored coating.
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by aka_tripleB April 3, 2009 2:24 PM PDT
Yes, I have. But you'll never get me to admit to making them or ever have worked at Burger King. Unless you're talking about how the tomatoes look like chili peppers and the meat actually looks like the "meat" for the vegetarian burgers. Then, no, I haven't seen a Whooper that looks like that picture.
by EthanLeduc April 3, 2009 3:16 PM PDT
Ugh, it's so true, their fries are atrocious.
by Hunnter2k3 April 3, 2009 6:31 PM PDT
Shame, the Burger King in my town is fantastic.
Well, the fries aren't as good as they were pre-2003 (ish)
I still like them though.

Now it's really awkward, i prefer McDonalds fries and Burger Kings burgers.
Double-dating, t'is my dirty sin.
by PiiSPii April 6, 2009 6:17 PM PDT
Everything is fine where I live. They've never put a coating on the fries around here. Two of my friends work there, and they say the only thing that's changed is the push to up-sell.

Then again, I live in Canada, so it might be different elsewhere.
by James Anderson Merritt April 3, 2009 2:10 PM PDT
Actually, carrying the burger in someone's back pocket for a week is an important and proprietary part of the "flame-broiling" process. Really adds to that signature BK flavor. Don't spread it around or the other chains will start doing it and BK will lose their competitive edge.
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by Hunnter2k3 April 3, 2009 2:58 PM PDT
You know, i was always wondering why they mentioned the whole "it notifies people they have been deleted" and it being against their Privacy Policy...
HMM, apparently checking your own friends list is now "illegal" on Facebook!
Possibly the lamest excuse to remove something from anywhere, ever.

... if only i hadn't "deleted" my Facebook before it was added.
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by karpenterskids April 3, 2009 3:25 PM PDT
I LOVED the Sacrificing promotion.
If they ever have anything similar to that again...count me in. :)
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by waynedunham April 3, 2009 4:50 PM PDT
Sheese, the Big Mac is the one with the "Special Sauce", the Whopper just has Mayo, and ketchup, hence no "secret sauce". He should have been boo'ed from the stage and flogged in the alley. ;) Way to NOT know your client.
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by aSiriusTHoTH April 3, 2009 9:58 PM PDT
Good Lord, people are still killing themselves on greasy fast food? Wow.... happy to the United States of Fat People
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by toosday April 4, 2009 2:33 AM PDT
Those folks at CP&B are amazing! They know how to get you talking about a brand (i.e. the current Hulu ad campaign).

Even if it's not always in approving ways, they will put a company's name on your lips and generate buzz (i.e. Burger King's "Whopper Sacrifice" and "Subservient Chicken", Microsoft's "Gates/Seinfeld" and "I'm a PC").

Oh, and Caroline, as for your "secret sauce" joke.... I'm shaking my head in disapproval :)
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by lilykudrow April 4, 2009 9:05 AM PDT
Demise Due To Poor-Revenue in Web 2.0
Facebook backs down on privacy terms
Read more about it here:
http://techunits.com/content/list_all/86/facebook
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by stevepoppe April 6, 2009 10:21 AM PDT
Hey Caroline. This promotion was so successful because it touched "lovers" and "haters." Lovers of whoppers (I'll take mine with extra pickles). And haters of the excesses of Facebook friending. Win Win!
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by Kewpa April 7, 2009 7:34 PM PDT
This is a good example of a great ad campaign for a poor product.
They probably paid a couple dollars for the whole deal... but they had to waste the idea on
Burger King. Shame.
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by TheRoboticDan May 12, 2009 10:36 PM PDT
Did anyone get their coupon? It's 5 months later and I'm still waiting on it. Can't find any chatter online about anyone receiving one either, except the first comment in on this post and I think its a joke.
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CNET News' Caroline McCarthy is a downtown Manhattanite who believes that, despite popular opinion, the Web can actually help your social life. She's happily addicted to fun social-media tools from Twitter to Yelp to Facebook, sends an inordinate number of text messages, and has a tendency to waste time at the office reading restaurant blogs. Here, she explores all facets of the Web's gregarious side, as well as the unique tech culture in her home city of New York. (Don't call it Silicon Alley.)

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