• On BNET: Vote: How will Apple blow it?
January 8, 2009 9:29 AM PST

Delete 10 Facebook friends, get a free Whopper

by Caroline McCarthy

(Credit: Burger King)

Facebook's developer platform has been used for a zillion marketing campaigns so far, but this one is actually dead-on hilarious.

Fast-food chain Burger King has created "Whopper Sacrifice," a Facebook app that will give you a coupon for a free hamburger if you delete 10 people from your friends list.

Burger King has put out some interesting campaigns as of late ("Whopper Virgin," "Subservient Chicken"), but this one piques our interest because of how gleefully it pokes fun at our social-networking obsessions. "Now is the time to put your fair-weather Web friendships to the test," the Whopper Sacrifice site explains. "Install Whopper Sacrifice on your Facebook profile, and we'll reward you with a free flame-broiled Whopper when you sacrifice ten of your friends.

The funniest part: The "sacrifices" show up in your activity feed. So it'll say, for example, "Caroline sacrificed Josh Lowensohn for a free Whopper." Unfortunately, you can't delete your whole friends list and eat free (however unhealthily) for a week. The promotion is limited to one coupon per Facebook account.

My Facebook friends had better appreciate the fact that I made a New Year's resolution to cut out red meat. Hint, hint.

Originally posted at The Social
Caroline McCarthy, a CNET News staff writer, is a downtown Manhattanite happily addicted to social-media tools and restaurant blogs. Her pre-CNET resume includes interning at an IT security firm and brewing cappuccinos. E-mail Caroline.
Recent posts from Webware
After 5 years, Firefox faces new challenges
Review redux: Flixster movie app for BlackBerry
Popular iPhone movie app flops on BlackBerry
Opera Mobile 10 beta browser: First Look video
Google trying not to cross 'the creepy line'
Integrated retweet on its way to Twitter
Mozilla's e-mail group looks toward the cloud
Facebook: We're going after scammy ads, too
Add a Comment (Log in or register) Showing 1 of 2 pages (43 Comments)
by karpenterskids January 8, 2009 9:36 AM PST
HAHAHA...I'm so going to do that.
Or else add an extra 10 friends ahead of time so that I don't un-add anyone I truly care about.
Reply to this comment
by TheFutureOfAds January 10, 2009 3:33 PM PST
Even without gaming the system, I'm sure there are plenty of folks that would love to trim 10 people from their friend list in exchange for free food. In addition to being 'dead-on hilarious', it was also a smart move by Burger King to tap into this pre-existing desire that many Facebook users have to get rid of a few friends, and get a free burger in the process!

http://thefutureofads.com/2009/01/09/burger-king-lets-people-sacrifice-friendships-for-whoppers/
by nweasel January 8, 2009 9:55 AM PST
HAHAHA!

I've never seen anything like this. That's actually really funny. I hate Burger King, otherwise I'd participate just for the fun of it.

Hey, got any friends you don't need, or don't care about anymore? Just delete them to get yourself a free Whopper. Hey, why not?
Reply to this comment
by Josh.Lowensohn January 8, 2009 9:57 AM PST
I'd delete you from my friends list for a pack of ketchup Ms. McCarthy.
Reply to this comment
by techman21 January 8, 2009 10:04 AM PST
Anyone does that to me, they're not coming back.
Reply to this comment
by smilin:) January 8, 2009 11:38 AM PST
They care I'm sure. Loser.
by techman21 January 13, 2009 11:39 AM PST
Thanks, that's nice.
by chris_hamm January 8, 2009 10:10 AM PST
Who do I know that is their friendship is worth less than free food?
Reply to this comment
by keynotespeaker January 8, 2009 10:11 AM PST
This is an excellent/clever use of the FB application platform which is usually not utilized properly in my humble opinion. I'll be interested to see how many total friends are "sacrificed."

I don't see this generating new customers for BK, however it should do a great job of increasing current customer frequency.
Reply to this comment
by karpenterskids January 8, 2009 6:12 PM PST
How many "new customers" can a major fast food chain gain to begin with?
Practically everyone here in the United States has already been to both McDonalds and Burger King. And Wendy's.

The most this can do is create customers who come more frequently.
(Or just people like me, who'll show up for the free food, and not come back for quite some time)
by Timmeh71 January 8, 2009 10:45 AM PST
The interesting thing about this app is that when you sacrifice your friends, they are notified. So no doing this anonymously.
Reply to this comment
by karpenterskids January 8, 2009 6:13 PM PST
Hey, it's free advertising for them.
For each free Whopper given out, 10 more people are notified.
So it grows exponentially.

It's brilliant, to be honest.
by lindsaycb January 8, 2009 10:46 AM PST
Now, question is... does this work for the Veggie Whopper? (Gardenburger instead of meat)
Reply to this comment
by terminalblue January 8, 2009 11:10 AM PST
i wish i had ten friends to delete :-(
Reply to this comment
by mad_seadog January 13, 2009 6:01 AM PST
hahahahahaha
by aka_tripleB January 8, 2009 11:17 AM PST
Do you get extra credit if they are virgins? Regardless, my friends are safe from me sacrificing them, because i HATE Burger King food.
Reply to this comment
by DatabaseDoctor January 8, 2009 11:21 AM PST
I just created a group on Facebook called BurgerKing Sacrifical Virgins.

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=43515578541

The idea is that everyone on Facebook should join the group and the group members act as sacrificial friends that allow you to add them and sacrifice them immediately so everyone can get a free Whopper?

JOIN THE FUN!!!
Reply to this comment
by LINARZE January 8, 2009 2:55 PM PST
Now see... thats just mean. Scamming a billion dollar industry out of a sandwich that takes $0.50 to produce... you should be ashamed of yourself!
by karpenterskids January 8, 2009 6:13 PM PST
hahaha
by Hunnter2k3 January 8, 2009 11:24 AM PST
Damn, now i almost wish i never deleted my account.
Too lazy to start it up again.

I could go a whopper now.
Reply to this comment
by JheriEvans January 8, 2009 1:43 PM PST
Ahhh, I too gave up red meat. All meat except fish actually. Where was this app 2 weeks ago!?
Reply to this comment
by thejokker January 10, 2009 5:34 AM PST
there is meat in a whopper?
by ekulongo January 16, 2009 12:04 PM PST
Fish is not meat!
by albertkaufman January 8, 2009 2:38 PM PST
wow, this amazing story almost helps me completely forget that Burger King cuts down rainforests to raise meat. And that we have thousands of soldiers in Iraq and Afganistan. Almost helps me forget about what the Bush Administration has done to gut our economy over the past 8 years. this is really really important to my life.
Reply to this comment
by mavfan2 January 9, 2009 4:20 PM PST
snore, maybe you can get Burger King to give you one carefree day in your otherwise miserable life
by Dabigkid January 10, 2009 8:05 AM PST
Uhh, Iraq and Bush have nothing to do with this. Don't you have anything better to do than to whine about an administration that's leaving office in less than two weeks?

Secondly I hope you enjoy living on your privileged industrialized continent. Don't you feel great that your ancestors cut down forests before you, so you're able to live prosperous life and complain when other people do it in order to increase their own prosperity? People who struggle to even have one meal a day really don't give a hoot how you and other white upper middle-class liberals think they're harming the environment. Don't be so greedy and inconsiderate.
by darliejan January 12, 2009 12:43 PM PST
thank you Dabigkid, I sometimes wonder if people THINK anymore. I can see that you do.
by frankceriona January 8, 2009 4:24 PM PST
oh! i don't sacrifice with friend so i can,t delete the fiend list.
Reply to this comment
by Turnip_of_Power January 8, 2009 4:28 PM PST
I'd love to delete 10 friends, but as usual my account is disabled. This is now a weekly thing with facebook. customer service tells me to create a new account, I follow their directions, and then antoher admin promptly disables it. It's an endless circle.
Reply to this comment
by nocrashonmeplz January 8, 2009 4:42 PM PST
Crappy food ploys for crappy people.

It's funny how people complain about stars that sell out, yet they'll barely wince to delete a friend for junk food.
Reply to this comment
by pistachioed January 9, 2009 7:56 AM PST
Do it without defriending any friends! http://gondaba.com/post/69385863/whopper-r-sacrifice-hacked
Reply to this comment
by rsignore January 9, 2009 8:44 AM PST
This is a great example of a creative way to get people to opt-in to a company's social network. What they do with this information later is the key to making it successful.
Reply to this comment
by alombarte January 9, 2009 8:45 AM PST
When Facebook asks you to give permissions to the application you a re giving permission to Burger King to know ANYTHING about you. Your profile, pictures, anything...

They will create a huge database with your free information. Adding facebook applications is not free fellows
Reply to this comment
by gimpordie January 9, 2009 3:55 PM PST
that sounds scary :(
Showing 1 of 2 pages (43 Comments)
advertisement

About Webware

Say No to boxed software! The future of applications is online delivery and access. Software is passé. Webware is the new way to get things done.

Add this feed to your online news reader

Webware topics

FAQ: Buying the right Windows 7 upgrade

Readers still have lots of questions on just which version of the software they need to buy in order to upgrade their PC. CNET News tries to offer some answers.

N.Y. lawsuit details Intel's 'largesse' toward Dell

Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's federal antitrust case filed Wednesday alleges a longstanding symbiotic relationship between Intel and Dell.

Inside CNET News

Scroll Left Scroll Right