Blog post by: Melissa Ignasiak
One of the most successful ads ever launched in the fast food industry was Burger King’s “Have it your way” campaign. Competing with the number one fast food chain, McDonald’s, the idea that customers could have their burger fixed the way they wanted differentiated Burger King from their competition. The campaign was launched in 1974 and ran through 1978. And throughout many less successful campaigns such as “Best Darn Burger” (1978) “Burger King Town” (1986) and “The Whopper Says” (2001), Burger King continued to be thought of as the place that lets you “Have it your way”.
The ad, created by the Crispin Porter + Bogusky agency, ran through the period of the 1970’s that was known as the “Me Generation”. The “Have it your way” slogan resonated with the individualistic and radical culture of the 1970’s, a time when “self-realization” and “self-fulfillment” were becoming cultural ambitions among young people.
In 2004, Burger King returned to “Have it your way” in television advertisements. Even after the millions of dollars spent of other campaigns in the past thirty years, research indicated that “Have it your way” was still the theme that best resonated. “When you have an ad campaign that sticky, it’s foolish to go against it,” said Russ Klein, BK’s chief global marketing officer. Burger King came to realize that the vintage slogan also fit well with emphasis of individuality of the current pop culture.
A year after the slogan’s return to the advertising world “Have it your way” made another large impact. In 2005, the Burger King Have It Your Way Foundation was established. The Foundation is able to make a positive impact in the communities and administers the Burger Kings Scholars Program and the BK Family Fund.
Sources:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4YAcsAe6UI&feature=related
http://informaticsinsights.blogspot.com/2012/06/enterprise-systems-bk-style-have-it.html
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/money/advertising/adtrack/2005-05-23-burger-king_x.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Me_generation
http://www.haveityourwayfoundation.org/about_us.html
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