Thursday, April 5, 2012

Do you want to drink it like Beckham?


In today’s celebrity obsessed world, it makes sense that companies would try to link their marketing efforts to celebrities.  But will consumers really buy drinks just because a favorite celeb does?  Sofia Vergara doesn’t seem to have done much for Pepsi.  (And yet she is in this campaign as well.)

But hope springs eternal and now Burger King, who dropped to the number three player in the fast food category recently, is using David Beckham to push smoothies.

Alex Macedo, VP North America admits that since Burger King’s products are the same as McDonald’s they needed to find a way to stand out.  (Schultz, 2012)

So what do you think?  Will you be buying a smoothie at BK any time soon?

Here’s the ad if you haven’t seen it yet.



Schultz, EJ (2012, April 2) Burger King Enlists Celebs To Call Attention To New Menu.  adage.com. Retrieved April 5, 2012, from
http://adage.com/article/news/burger-king-enlists-celebs-call-attention-menu/233882/

5 comments:

ashley said...

First of all, I am surprised to hear that Sofia Vergara is not doing anything for Pepsi since I thought it was a good campaign. But I can easily understand how someone can like the campaign but prefer to drink Coke.
I think that the older you get, the celebrities stop influencing in most of the decision that we take.
I don’t think putting a celebrity as an image is efficient with adults, but I can see it working with little kids and teenagers. For instance, if Justin Bieber was in a drink commercial probably all of the girls who are his fans will ask their moms to buy it.

Anonymous said...

My sister actually posted this commercial on my facebook wall a few days ago and of course the main purpose of it is just so that we can gush about his good looks however I won't buy the smoothie just because of Beckham. I agree with ashley that if it was justin beiber, his fan base would really buy whatever he is endorsing. But I feel that age isn't only the factor why people buy. I think it's really up to the what the consumers get out of the product and what is the key message of the commercial. Unfortunately, I feel that in this commercial the focus is more on Beckam's good looks than the smoothie. Coz some of the celebrity endorsed product that I feel are really good in explaining and endorsing the product are cover girl commercials because the celebs really talk about the product and its benefits and it worked for me since I ended up buying their lipstick.

Igie Soriano

Vicky K said...

Using celebrities in a campaign to enhance marketing efforts is something many companies do, but it is a little tricky. Companies should choose celebrities depending on the product they offer and the target they are directed to. Having a celebrity as the image of the company is a little bit risky, because you cannot control the image this celebrity gives to your brand. For example what happened to nike with the Tiger Woods scandal.
The cost of using a celebrity in a campaign is also very expensive. I think that in the cases it works is because the target market that certain company chooses is really vulnerable and admires or even worships a certain celebrity, but it is not that easy.

Anonymous said...

I have seen the commercial on the tv, and yes, David Beckham is really a snack! But, I does not make me want to buy a smoothie at all, and I would never buy any thing in Burger King, since I don’t like junk food.
You kind of forget what the commercial is all about and just admire ring David’s beauty and sexy look until the last seconds where the smoothie and logo is in focus.

The only reputation Burger King will get from this is, that they used a celebrity in their commercial, not what they attend to sell.

- Mathilde

Nathan Leitner said...

I am always skeptical of celebrity advertising but I think David Beckham does have a ubiquitous presence in the US and abroad. I think since Burger King and McDonald's have such similar products, it makes sense to appeal to consumers in other ways and with the smoothie ads target the female population directly. I think any push for the fast food industry to get "healthier" makes sense and I would buy a smoothie over other options. Although the celebrity, Beckham, takes away from the product I think the consumer is still aware of the main message.

-Nathan