Is walking away from a winning strategy a good idea?

6/8/09

The Effie award winners for 2008 have been named and the grand Effie was awarded to Burger King for its “Freakout” campaign. In case you’ve forgotten it, it makes use of a hidden camera to show the reaction of real people when they are told that the whopper has been discontinued. You can check it out again here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aa8fHfo4uEI

I knew the campaign was a winner when my nephew, who was 14 at the time showed me clips of it on YouTube. According the Effie application, Burger King’s sales went up by double digits when it ran. (“Burger King Wins”, 2009)

Now comes the news that in the face of an unimpressive +1% increase in sales during 1st Quarter 2009, BK has decided to focus future advertising on items from its value menu, despite the fact that it has traditionally focused its advertising on its premium products. (“Burger King Promotes Value”, 2009)

Is this a wise decision given the current state of the economy? Or are they foolish to stop promoting their signature item?


(2009, June 4). Burger King Wins Effie Grand Prize For ‘Freakout’. mediapost.com. Retrived, June 7, 2009 from
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.printFriendly&art_aid=107275

(2009, May 29). Burger King Promotes Value. mediabuyerplanner.com. Retrived, June 7, 2009 from
http://www.mediabuyerplanner.com/entry/41524/burger-king-promotes-value/