The answer might not come easily. In a recent Burger King video, responses are troubling and moving—especially coming from a fast-food company.
“While Burger King is famous for pulling stunts in the name of selling burgers, its latest prank has a more noble cause,” AdAge’s Jessica Wohl wrote.
This is the premise of a deeply affecting and effective social experiment and accompanying three-minute video created by the Miami office of David, the agency partner for Burger King. The spot is called “ Bullying Jr.,” and was created in honor of National Bullying Prevention Month.
Some 30% of kids around the world report being bullied at some point. To see what would happen if it happened in public, the David team hired teen actors to harass another kid in a real Los Angeles-area BK restaurant. The premise was simple: Would customers be more likely to stand up for a bullied junior human or a bullied junior Whopper?
The PSA then reveals that while 95 percent of customers reported the "bullied" Whopper Jr., only 12 percent stood up for the high school junior being bullied.
The video has racked up more than 1.26 million views on YouTube since Burger King published it on Oct. 17:
It’s received kudos on social media, with tweets such as this:
Burger King just released one of the best anti-bullying PSAs I've ever seen 👏👏http://pic.twitter.com/X6INZ2Ppg9
— Typical Girl (@SoDamnTrue) October 22, 2017
The public service announcement was Burger King’s effort to raise awareness of the problem during National Bullying Prevention Month.
Today.com received the following statement from Burger King’s head of global brand management, Fernando Machado:
The campaign is a first step to try to make a difference. That's why BK partnered with No Bully to create awareness and we are looking into how to extend the relationship.
… At Burger King we are known for putting the crown on everyone’s head. We respect individuality by allowing people “have it their way.” We take pride of welcoming everyone. Bullying goes against that. It goes against all the things we believe in ... No junior deserves to be bullied, yet 30 percent of students worldwide are bullied each year.
Nicholas Carlisle, chief executive and founder of No Bully, said in a press release:
We know that bullying takes on many forms, physical, verbal, relational and online. But the first step to putting an end to bullying is to take a stand against it.
… Our partnership with the BURGER KING® brand is an example of how brands can bring positive awareness to important issues. You have to start somewhere and they chose to start within.
Lewinsky, Trump and ‘Spider-Man’ actors add their voices
Others are also taking part in National Bullying Prevention Month.
Monica Lewinsky released an anti-bullying PSA on Oct. 9. The video, which Lewinsky made with ad agency BBDO New York and Dini von Mueffling Communications, highlights cyberbullying by having actors spit out vitriolic comments that were found across social media platforms:
The horrible harassment in the PSA only comes to a stop when passersby ― not actors ― intervene and defend those being bullied.
“If this behavior is unacceptable in real life, why is it so normal online?” the video asks poignantly, concluding with the hashtag #ClickWithCompassion.
Lewinsky told People about her connection to the PSA’s material:
As for how her own past played a role in its tone, she says, “I think that there are are [sic] probably hundreds of thousands, if not millions of horrible things, which have been said about me online and in print. But I can count on one, maybe two hands, how many times people have been rude to my face. That’s my own personal connection. When you are with someone, when you see someone face to face, you are reminded of their humanity.”
Last month, stars from “Spider-Man: Homecoming” also filmed a PSA in partnership with Stomp Out Bullying.
On Monday, Melania Trump also spoke out against bullying.
Mrs. Trump encouraged 7th and 8th graders at Orchard Lake Middle School in West Broomfield, Michigan, to “find a new friend and eat lunch with a new friend” for an anti-bullying, “No One Eats Alone Day” event.
“As part of my ongoing commitment to the overall well-being of children, I am looking forward to today’s visit,” Mrs. Trump stated before the visit. “By our own example, we must teach children to be good stewards of the world they will inherit. We need to remember that they are always watching and listening. It is our responsibility to take the lead in teaching children the values of empathy and communication that are at the core of kindness, mindfulness, integrity, and leadership.”
Some criticized the move, saying President Donald Trump’s tweets don’t align with the first lady’s messages.
In just the past few days, President Trump has attacked several of his perceived enemies on Twitter; he referred to Florida Rep. Federica Wilson as “Wacky Congresswoman Wilson,” continued to harp on “Crooked Hillary” and bashed the NFL for not requiring players to stand for the national anthem. Today, he's indirectly called the widow of a fallen solider a liar. All in all, it's not very on brand when you're fighting bullying.
What PR pros can learn
So, what made Burger King’s PSA stand out against others’ efforts?
Anderson wrote:
The ad is admittedly limited — it doesn’t address the fact that bullying is a complex issue that involves more than just blatant name-calling, pushing and shoving. Moreover, while intervening when you see bullying helps, that is only the first step in addressing the problem, not the solution. Also, comparing a bullied child to a smashed burger is kind of . . . well . . . dumb.
Yet, we should consider that this is coming from a fast food chain, a source from whom one should perhaps not expect nuance or fully realized moral guidance. As well, oddly enough, the PSA does get a strong message across: If people cared about children’s well-being as much as they cared about the well-being of their burgers, kids would have a much easier time.
[RELATED: Bring PR enlightenment to your team and become a hero.]
PR and marketing pros should note the power of finding a story to which consumers can relate:
You’d think the idea of bullying a Whopper Jr. would be too goofy to work, but in the end, it does work—more memorably, in fact, than many other anti-bullying ads. It vividly demonstrates a sad truth about bullying—that bystanders would often rather not get involved. And it does so in the starkest terms, by showing how vastly more people are likely to care—or do something—about a $2 sandwich than about a fellow human’s predicament.
Even the most moving corporate social responsibility efforts can fit in with your brand’s voice, if you’re savvy.
Nudd wrote:
As social-purpose advertising goes, it’s also incredibly well branded. The stunt takes place in a BK store, and is centered squarely around one of the menu items. That’s some clever product integration in a spot designed to do a lot more than sell.
The spot also fits the BK brand seamlessly, both in terms of its advertising history and its recent purpose-based marketing efforts. This is a brand that’s used hidden cameras a number of times (most famously with the Whopper Freakout) and also, more recently, supported lots of social causes via campaigns like Proud Whopper and Whopper Sign. It’s also tackled bullying before, in this Argentinian ad from last spring.
What do you think of Burger King’s video, PR Daily readers?
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