Burger
King apologizes for black targeted Web commercial featuring
Mary J. Blige
(April 4, 2012) Burger King is getting grilled for a Web
only spot that has black consumers condemning the
commercial across the Internet. The ad features singer Mary
J. Blige singing the praises of the restaurant chain's new
crispy chicken wraps.
The spot is part of a series of commercials for Burger
King's new marketing campaign, which includes soccer star
David Beckham, talk show host Jay Leno and actress Selma
Hayek. All of them are highlighting the changes in decor
and menus. The effort was initiated in part by Burger King
recently losing its long-held No.2 position in the fast
food category to rival Wendy's.
The reaction, however, to the Blige spot from
African-American Web sites and bloggers may have setback
any attempt to get more black consumers to patronize the
chain.
The commercial was produced by Burger King's recently hired
general market ad agency, Mother. Initial criticism came
from black sites like Madame Noir, whose writer, Renay
Alize, called the commercial "buffoonery."
Blige defended herself from attacks by saying she never saw
or approved the final creative execution. "I agreed to be a
part of a fun and creative campaign that was supposed to
feature a dream sequence," said the singer in a statement.
"Unfortunately, that's not what was happening in that clip,
so I understand my fans being upset by what they saw. But,
if you're a Mary fan, you have to know I would never allow
an unfinished spot like the one you saw to go out."
Burger King pulled the spot but said that its removal was
due to licensing concerns, not public reaction. In a
statement the company said, "We would like to apologize to
Mary J. and all of her fans for airing an ad that was not
final. We know how important Mary J. is to her fans, and we
are currently in the process of finalizing the commercial.
We hope to have the final ad on the air soon."
Ironically, Burger King has, for the last year, been in the
process of hiring an African-American advertising agency to
craft its message for black consumers. While the company
has said that it expected to have a decision earlier this
year, any assignment given to a black ad shop now will come
with the burden of un-doing the damage created by the
Mother ad agency.
The fast food chain's last African-American agency
assignment was with the UniWorld Group, but that ended in
2010 when Burger King was purchased by new owners.
Blige is savvy when it comes to marketing. In addition to
building a success with her own fragrance line, My Life,
she has had award winning-commercials as an endorser. Most
recently, she was featured in a critically acclaimed spot
for the Chevy Traverse that was conceived and produced by
the Sanders\Wingo ad agency.
According to industry figures, black consumers spend about
$1.1 billion with Burger King.
Burger King's ad spending in black-oriented media -- about
$6 million annually -- has been declining in recent years,
trails spending by competitors McDonald's, KFC, and
Wendy's.
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