Burger King Deviously Explains Net Neutrality by Making People Wait Longer for Whoppers

On the heels of its brilliant anti-bullying spot last year, Burger King has found another cause it can get behind, and promote with a clever in-store stunt—net neutrality. Net neutrality is a complicated topic to explain, which is where Burger King came in with a meaty metaphor. It set up a social experiment at a BK location—with a hidden-camera setup not unlike that of the anti-bullying spot—and taught Whopper buyers a memorable lesson. In the video below, see how real customers reacted to being charged more for the same quick-serve Whopper—or, for the regular price, having to wait longer for a Whopper as BK employees intentionally, and seemingly pointlessly, slow down their service. [kickout id="1"] In December, you'll recall, the FCC repealed net neutrality rules that regulated businesses that provide internet access to consumers—opening the door for broadband providers to potentially charge more for better internet speed or higher-quality service. David Miami, the agency behind so many clever BK campaigns in recent years, made the new spot. It's very different than the "Bullying Jr." PSA, but in some ways works similarly. In place of the more emotional and poignant ending of that earlier spot, here we get a more plainly hostile vibe from the patrons—which fits the issue at hand better. If you were served a mashed-up burger, you'd be mostly confused; if you're openly denied good service, you'd probably get annoyed pretty quickly. There's plenty of cursing in between the baffled looks; a few patrons even make a move to snatch their Whopper away from the BK employees. There's a dose of "Whopper Freakout" in here, and you get the sense that the stunt could easily have turned violent—thankfully, it didn't. The pricing board that they showed customers is great, too—with MBPS, referring to megabits per second in webspeak, changed to mean "making burgers per second." [kickout id="2"] While not quite as inspired as "Bullying Jr.," the "Whopper Neutrality" stunt is amusing to watch and certainly puts the issue in the plainest, most relatable terms. And once again, it's right on brand for the "Have it your way" marketer. "We believe the internet should be like Burger King restaurants, a place that doesn't prioritize and welcomes everyone," says Fernando Machado, Burger King's global chief marketing officer. "That is why we created this experiment, to call attention to the potential effects of net neutrality." CREDITS Client: Burger King Agency: David Spot: Whopper Neutrality CCO & Founder: Anselmo Ramos Managing Director, Head of Account Services: Paulo Fogaça Creative Director: Tony Kalathara ACD: Ricardo Casal ACD: Juan Javier Peña Plaza Senior Art Director: Jean Zamprogno Senior Copywriter: Fernando Pellizzaro Head of Global Production: Veronica Beach Producer: Carlos Torres Sr. Business Affairs Manager: Barbara Karalis Director of Strategy: Jon Carlaw Senior Planner: Matias Candia Senior Account Director: Carmen Rodriguez Account Supervisor: Diandra Garcia Account Supervisor: Jenny Gobel Production Company: Here Be Dragons Director: Kris Belman Executive Producer: David Richards Head of Production: Mamta Trivedi Producer: Peter Slowey Editing: Cosmo Street Editorial Executive Producer: Yvette Cobarrubias-Sears Editor: Hugo Jordan Post Producer: Idalia Deshon Final Audio: Beacon Street Studios Executive Producer: Adrea Lavezzoli Mix and Sound Design Producer: Kate Vadnais Mixer: Amber Tisue Online: Cosmo Street Editorial Executive Producer: Yvette Cobarrubias-Sears Flame Artist: Shinya Sato Color: The Mill Executive Producer: Thatcher Peterson Producer: Diane Valera Colorist: Matt Osborne Graphics Animation: Lava Studio Executive Producer: Jennifer Eirea Creative Director: David Woodward Designer/Animator: Carlos Velasquez

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Burger King Deviously Explains Net Neutrality by Making People Wait Longer for Whoppers

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