Whopper Virgins
December 10, 2008 by adfed
@jerryketel can you weigh in on the whopper virgins campaign? http://www.whoppervirgins.com/
Dear @Ibautist,
The Whopper Virgins campaign is pure artful propaganda. The filmmaking—as seen on the microsite—is as good as any of the best documentaries I’ve ever seen. It was nicely photographed, the choice of music propelled the story, the subjects were treated with warmth and dignity. The story itself had an element of suspense to it and it rewarded the viewer by being both surprising and intelligent. It made me think. And that is where the piece failed. Because it made me think how manipulative the pseudo-documentary was. It made me think how unscientific the survey was and how the tasters were being polite hosts when asked how they liked the Whopper being grilled in their homeland before their eyes. Of course they said it was good! But most of all it made me think of how the documentary has been used recently as propaganda, thanks to the likes of Michael Moore and Errol Morris. And now, the documentary, a category unto itself in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is being used to shill an industrial American hamburger. How far the art form has fallen.
It is really good propaganda. It just made me think too much.
Jerry Ketel
Let’s call it a mockumentary and leave the propaganda debate for another day (I need beer with that). Are you with me?
8:29 pm, December 10, 2008 Comment by David Burn
@Jerry,
It’s advertising, that’s all, nothing to do with the documentary as an art form. PAF should understand that right?
CP+B like to wallow in the dirt as it were. Here’s Bogusky on their methods
“Instead of hiding qualities that may seem negative…Crispin exploits them….Naturally, that risks pissing someone off. “I think really good brands have to have something of a thick skin these days,” Bogusky says….”Then, once Crispin finds a through line that works, adds Bogusky’s disciple Keller, “we pour gas on it.”
Here’s a comment from Communication Overtones http://bit.ly/bWyk
“I saw the Thailand version of the ad last night and was shocked by the crassness of the commercial. As you said, no direct flaws but so many potential landmines. My favourite quote from the voice over was “who don’t even have a word for burger”
I wonder if the same remote people have words for the following;
- Childhood obesity
- early onset diabetes
- heat disease
- “do you want frys with that?”
maybe BK and Crispin, Porter and Bogusky can tell us?”
11:14 am, December 11, 2008 Comment by Davw Allen
Great campaign!
9:56 am, December 17, 2008 Comment by Steve Rosenbaum