Clever Creative: The King of All Stunts

Posted Thursday October 26^th, 2017 by Caitlin Artigliere in Creativity + Art.

Advertising isn’t just for a product or service, it can also be for a cause or to raise awareness of an issue. One particular problem America has been actively trying to eliminate for over a decade is bullying. Unfortunately, it’s something that happens to 1 in 3 students in the U.S., according to StopBullying.gov. In the past, there have been campaigns to raise awareness and put an end to it, but it’s still a prevalent issue in schools. In an effort to open people’s eyes, today’s “Clever Creative,” tackles the issue by creating an ad that uses the king of all stunts.

Burger King: “Bullying Jr.”

This recent ad/stunt for Burger King not only opens your eyes to the cold hard truth about bullying, but it also does a great job of product integration. They used teen actors who were high school juniors and their Whopper Jr. to see which junior people would save. You’d think that punching a burger and selling it to a customer wouldn’t really work as an ad for bullying, but it does. Especially when you have an actual kid being bullied in front of those very same customers who chose to fight for their $2 – $5 burger and not their fellow human being. The sobering statistics of this social experiment serve as a wake-up call that more people need to stand up against bullies instead of just letting it happen.

Burger King’s stunt also does a great job tying into the rest of their advertising efforts, since they’ve done a few other hidden camera ads, like their “What Would You Do,” “Bye” and “The Parmesan Don” commercials that include real people/customers instead of actors. As we stated before, this ad features their Whopper Jr. seamlessly, turning it into more of a prop than a product promotion.

The ultimate goal of most anti-bullying ads is to end bullying, but Burger King realized one ad probably won’t do that. And so, their mission became raising awareness about the lack of action taken by bystanders. We think this social experiment and the statistics that came from it will stick with you more than any other message from an ad of its kind. It will also shock you into understanding that some of the blame is equally placed on us by not speaking up for those who can’t. The ad does a great job of integrating their product and brand (without forcing it on you), as well as truly raising awareness about bullying, which is what makes it the king of all stunts.

Let us know what you think of these ads, and be on the lookout for next week’s installment of Clever Creative!

If you’re looking for some clever creative of your own, feel free to contact us.

Clever Creative: The King of All Stunts

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