Burger King

By 2004, Burger King’s sales and status descent were so pronounced that smaller rivals were already on the verge of overtaking them. Burger King (BK) CEO Brad Blum put the blame on their boring advertisements. He thought their ads were uninspiring and unable to effectively reach their core customers. He wanted to change their flat image and bland marketing approach. Thus, Blum hired the small but gutsy and creative Crispin ad agency and tasked them to create an ad series for BK that was innovative, effective, relevant, and out-of-the-box.

They had to stay true to the BK identity but still forge new connections with fast food customers. 2. What target market is Crispin going after and why? Is this the best target market for BK? Crispin thought BK’s main audience is the young male fast food fans. They have a huge demographic and have on-the-go lifestyles that are perfect for BK ads to aim at. BK is famous for its big, flame-cooked burgers that appeal to young males more than anyone else. Further, it is also more logical for Crispin to go after a market that already had interest in what BK offers.

They need only to push their tastes more towards BK. The University of Alberta Students’ Union’s article entitled “Setting Advertising Objectives” states the six stages of buyers’ readiness: awareness, knowledge, liking, preference, conviction and finally, action. Young males already know BK as a fast food restaurant. Thus, Crispin only needs to convince them that BK is the right fast food restaurant for them. This was easier for a recovering company such as BK.

It was also better than trying to attract a market that was absolutely uninterested in fast food such as executives and vegetarians. 3. Why did Crispin choose to advertise BK in the way they did with spin off commercials, bands and a website? What impact will this have on BK’s brand image and marketing endeavors? Innovation and relevance are Crispin’s main weapons. Unlike other advertisements that try to take customers to a place that will signify the product, Crispin took the product and placed it right in front of the customers.

Crispin’s ads appealed to the audience by blending in with customers’ lives and making it seem that BK is indeed part of their lives. Moreover, the ad series gave BK’s image a juvenile youthfulness that was cool with the target market and made BK one of them. Work Cited University of Alberta Students’ Union. Setting Advertising Objectives [PDF File]. 2006. University of Alberta. 12 Dec. 2008 <http://www. su. ualberta. ca/services_and_businesses/businesses/marketing/AdObjectives>.

To succeed in the market, Burger King (BK) should be able to carve a positive identity to set them apart from competitors and continue their good relations with their customers. Bill Dueease writes that BK needs to show consumers a good reason for them to choose BK over others. Thus, BK needs to assess and compare itself with its competitors to find what its strengths and unique qualities are. BK’s success is dependent on its ability to maintain old customers as well as find new ones.

According to Laura Lake, different brands have different brand missions, but they all pass or fail depending on how well they are able to identify and gain customers’ preferences as this is one of the most important means of accomplishing their objectives. 2. What should be the advertising objective/s of BK? As with all marketing approaches, BK should get to know who they are selling their product to so that they can sell it well and effectively. Lake writes that brands should be able to tell what consumers like and dislike about their brand so that they could improve on those and attract more.

BK should focus their marketing approach on a specific demographic. Further, Dueease points out that BK could improve their appeal by making sure that their entire package from pricing, promotion, positioning, and product developments is impeccable. 3. Who do you think would be the target audience of the ads? Crispin relied on elements other than the usual television and print ad advertising. They used the web and music to get people interested and eventually connect those interests with the BK franchise.

Crispin’s ads targeted young people who are into music and surfing the internet for interesting things. They are the kind of people who would appreciate the Coq Roq band and the humor of the subservient chicken website. Works Cited Dueease, Bill. “8 Secrets to Marketing Success. ” Power Home Biz. 16 Sept. 2003. 12 Dec. 2008. http://www. powerhomebiz. com/vol125/eight. htm Lake, Laura. “Focusing on your Target Audience. ” About. com. 2008. The New York Times. 12 Dec. 2008. http://marketing. about. com/cs/brandmktg/a/target_market. htm

A good promotion can help in increasing the sales and bad promotions reduce the market share. The message strategy of Burger King should be to create a buzz among the youth with shrewd marketing tactics. The prime strength of Burger King is to provide a customized burger, however weird it might be. This can be the biggest leverage point as different customers may have different demands with very few or no one to cater to them. They should not go for the main stream promotion such as Television advertisements for its products.

Among the youth the culture of keeping in touch is via webmail. So using this mode would prove more effective considering the fact that youth comprises the bigger consumer chunk. Crispin might not have a very easy and smooth sailing journey while developing this message and in ensuring that consumers understand the message correctly. In order to create buzz Crispin has to develop an image for Burger King which symbolizes the youth. Hence the message should be such that it does not seem to be too commercial and “uncool.

” They need to succeed in surprising the audience which would create the buzz leading to exposure. Crispin is required to create a message that can ‘gain attention, hold interest, arouse desire and elicit action. ’ BK should use a spokesperson which represents the youth and they can easily identify themselves with MTV personalities or persons from popular Rock Bands can be used as spokesperson for BK as MTV is one of the most watched channels among the youth and they also love to listen to Rock Bands.

BK should spend the money on an Integrated Advertising Campaign. By not directly promoting BK’s product they created a buzz which leads to more promotion than directly promoting the product which is too obvious and does not appeal the target audience. Major focus should be on webmail and the advertising should be capable of creating a buzz. This would lead to the maximum penetration among its target customers which is the youth. Works Cited Page Philip Kotler, Marketing Management, Millennium Edition, Pearson Education Publishers, Delhi, 2000