What can Marketing learn from a moldy burger?

The debate around Burger King’s ads showing a 37 day old moldy burger rages on.

Some say it’s the bravest thing the brand has done and others think Burger King may have gone too far.

But if we look deeper, there’s a bigger story here that needs our attention.

This moldy burger has signalled the start of a new era in Marketing. Not just for fast food brands but for every brand.

Let’s a take a step back to understand this fully.

Before the age of the internet, brands were free to tell consumers whatever they wanted them to hear. There was absolutely no way for consumers to know what was true and what wasn’t.

Brands spoke and consumers listened. It was a one way conversation and brands were in control.

Enticing messages wrapped in hyperbole were served up to the public and they were gobbled up. For the most part there was little to no concern for the truth.

With the start of a new Millennium all that changed. The world wide web began to flex its muscle.

As the Web grew rapidly it brought consumers closer to brands in a way no one imagined was possible. At a speed no one could have foreseen.

In less than a decade, what was essentially a monologue, with brands doing the all the talking, has now become a multiway conversation dominated by consumers.

Suddenly the consumer has access to information about products that for years was simply out of reach. 

Every generation has had its addiction. For millennials and Gen Z, information is their addiction. The more they know, the more their appetite to know more, grows.

They are not happy just buying brands. They want to know how they are made? Who makes them? Where they are made? Is the brand using sustainable material? How are they making the world a better place?

In short, the new age consumer wants to know the truth!

The whole truth and nothing but the truth.

In the near future, Brands that ignore these questions or dodge them will lose their faithful. Consumers will switch to brands that are transparent and open to scrutiny.

The BK ads are not just about freshness. They mark a critical turning point in the world of Marketing.

Truth will be the new battle ground for Marketing. 

Brands that tell compelling truths about themselves will  connect with consumers in powerful ways. They will have an immense advantage over the competition.

Honesty will be the best policy. It will also be best for profitability.

- by Ali Shabaz, Chief Creative Officer, Publicis Indonesia.