Case Study: Burger King

Client: Burger King
Agency: Crispin Porter & Bogusky
Award: Yellow Pencil / Interactive & Digital Media / Consumer Websites / 2005

There was a time when there were no significant American advertising agencies outside New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. Then Wieden + Kennedy began making a name for themselves in Portland, Oregon, and Fallon started making waves from Minneapolis. Even so, no-one believed an agency in Florida could ever make the big time. Miami was just too far from where the big clients held sway.

When, in January 2004, Burger King appointed Crispin Porter + Bogusky to handle their advertising, the business press was, frankly, amazed. It wasn’t just because what had been regarded as a creative boutique was now playing with the seniors as much as the fact that Burger King was in a challenging position and needed to effect significant change. Often, this type of situation induces corporate paralysis. Companies become more conservative rather than more adventurous. The result is thrombosis.

Burger King were brave. Bravely they acknowledged that a sharper communications strategy might be the route to improving market share, bravely they sought to talk to the agencies with reputations for visible, effective work and bravely they went to Florida.

Andrew Keller remembers that in January 2004 “We were given a week to put together a presentation that would include everything from instore to online. It was crazy but fun. We thought we might get a project from BK but not the whole lot, not the whole account.” But that’s what happened. Impressed with what they saw of the work and the people at CP+B, Burger King appointed the agency to handle their entire advertising needs.