Publicis Groupe’s Saatchi & Saatchi has flipped a potentially negative media article about Burger King into a positive gesture campaign. The campaign is in response to an article by Business Insider’s Phillip De Wet, questioning the future of the brand locally, following the announced acquisition of Burger King South Africa by Africa-focused private equity firm, Emerging Capital Partners (ECP).
Burger King announced that all customers named Phillip (or Philip, or even Phillipa) de Wet, will receive a lifetime voucher for one free Whopper – to be redeemed at any time, in any existing or future national store.
Michelle Marais, Creative Group Head, Saatchi & Saatchi South Africa said, ‘Burger King has been famous for its flame grilling since 1954. So, when the brand recently came under (unnecessary) fire, there was only one thing left for us to do: grill ‘em. De Wet’s article framed the sale of the chain as being due to poor performance, which isn’t the case. We saw this as a great opportunity to put the rumours to rest and assure Burger King fans that the WHOPPER® is here to stay. And what better way to do this than by rewarding every Phillip, Philip and Phillipa de Wet with a WHOPPER® voucher, valid for a lifetime?’
‘We first ran the vouchers in the Sunday Times – nothing says you’re serious quite like a press ad – and then published them on Burger King’s social media pages. We’re really looking forward to generations and generations of Phills digging into Burger King’s signature flame-grilled sandwich.’
Juan Klopper, Chief Operating Officer of Burger King South Africa said, ’While many brands may see these types of articles as reputational risk, we see them as a challenge – one that we confidently accept. Firstly, we’d like to put on record that this is in no way a personal attack on the media; it’s a positive gesture that demonstrates our continued commitment to South Africa and proves that we’re here for the long haul. It’s also just a nice opportunity to reward our loyal customers named Phillip de Wet.
‘Secondly, it’s our way of correcting some general misperceptions that may exist out there about Burger King and its bright South African future. So to clarify: we remain a profitable and growing business, with 100 new stores in the pipeline nationally, and – more importantly – we remain a responsible employer, dedicated to reducing our country’s growing unemployment rate through continued skills development and the growth of our national Burger King footprint.’
So how do you redeem a voucher? Klopper says it’s as easy as going into any Burger King store nationwide and presenting your ID to prove that you are, in fact, a deserving Phillip, Philip, or Phillipa de Wet. ‘We’d also love to have an open and honest conversation – over a Whopper, of course – with the inspiration of our campaign, to demystify any misconceptions and hopefully grow our Phillip de Wet fanbase.’
SAATCHI & SAATCHI SOUTH AFRICA (+27 10) 020 4037 https://www.saatchi.co.za
