Burger King on Net Neutrality

There are no limits when it comes to being a major brand that is recognized across the globe, and Burger King understands this concept very well. Their latest advertisement gives consumers a clearer understanding of a poignant and relevant topic, which should be concerning to all internet users. It is an ingenious strategy after all, peering net neutrality to the Burger King brand. Not only did they have people talking about their internet rights, but consumers will forever remember their brand in this way as well. What a Whopper!

Whopper Neutrality

Not many people understand this topic, as the advertisement clearly shows. It starts out with a number of customers ordering the Whopper meal; however, they grow impatient waiting for their food. It is a fast food joint, so that means super quick turnaround in preparing the popular sandwich. Even though this might be true, these customers learn that in order to receive their sandwiches, minus the long wait, they have to pay an additional $26.

As expected many customers are disgruntled, and some even get incensed over this hidden fact. The clever part of the advertisement is having the employees, use the coined phrase ‘Whopper Neutrality.’ They did not leave things hanging however; after customers received their sandwiches, they were sequestered on the outside, where the whole charade was explained to them. Nevertheless, by the end of the advert, they came to appreciate how they would lose their right to having equal access to the internet, as others were paying more money for faster access.

The Facts

For a while there were net neutrality regulations in place, which ensured that all internet users received the same fairness with their internet provider. This was recently repealed by the Federal Communications Commission. There has been a lot of outcry against these providers giving preferential service and quicker access to particular websites and increasing their service charges across the board. Certainly, there are other elements to the regulations, which can be quite mystifying to the common man, but Burger King did a great job, by illuminating the idea, with their ‘Whopper Neutrality’ advert.

Net Neutrality is a hot button topic in America right now. The social experiment, hosted by Burger King will add fuel to an ever-growing fire around this issue. Of course, the company believes that internet access should be akin to Burger King’s Whopper sandwich, made without prejudice for all customers alike.

In their statement, posted on the popular YouTube channel; the company states that “The rescinding of Net Neutrality is a hot topic in America, but it can be very difficult to understand. That’s why the Burger King brand created Whopper Neutrality, a social experiment that explains the effects of the repeal of Net Neutrality by putting it in terms anyone can understand: A Whopper sandwich. This effort aims to help people understand how the repeal of Net Neutrality will impact their lives. The Burger King brand believes the Internet should be like the Whopper sandwich: the same for everyone.”

Anti-Bullying

Aligning themselves with this issue is a great marketing strategy by Burger King, which will obviously pay off in the long and short-term. It seems to be a common practice with the global brand. The previous year, they released a similar video, where they aligned the brand with the ‘Anti-Bullying Initiative.’

In that advertisement, a high school student was subjected to the taunts of bullies, right in the restaurant. The remarkable thing was there were customers who stood by and watched as the events unfolded in front of them. The restaurant was crowded at times of all the people, only 12% intervened in the incident. However, 95% of the people, which received a ‘bullied’ burger, reported it. Do you see the disparity? Customers were more willing to stand up for a ‘Whopper Jr.’ burger than a ‘High School Jr.’ being bullied. It is also noteworthy, that they had real high school students, relaying their experiences with bullies at school as well.

Kudos to Burger King for being a vanguard as well as taking a more innovative approach to marketing and advertisement; all this while bringing recognition to global issues that affect our daily lives.