Comments on: Burger King’s New Idea: Marketing To Women

By: Tom Wanek

Tom Wanek — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 16:37:18 +0000

The problem with BK’s approach — other than targeting the wrong consumer — is that it relies on gimmickry, which lacks relevancy. And your brain immediately discounts that which is irrelevant – even if the information surprises you a little. It’s equivalent to falsely screaming fire in a crowded theater. These tactics have a short shelf life, and will eventually hurt your credibility.

It will be interesting to see BK’s new approach and how much it differs from what the company is doing now.

By: MarketingBeyondAdvertising.com

MarketingBeyondAdvertising.com — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 15:52:54 +0000

Say Goodbye to Burger King’s Parade of Hype (Let’s Hope)…

Sex-crazed young men across the nation will be sad to learn that Burger King will no longer torment the rest of us with its gimmickry, hoopla and hype. Michele Miller recently commented on her WonderBranding blog that sliding sales have caused the head…

By: Kristen D.

Kristen D. — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 15:14:14 +0000

I happen to like edge, I like quirky humor and I like appropriately, inappropriate innuendos- this ad is none of the above (hey, that’s just my opinion). There is a fine line between edgy and tasteless and for each individual consumer the line is defined by their morals and values. What motivates me to buy a 7 inch sandwich and what motivates my 13 year old prepubescent male cousin will certainly be different. The problem is exactly what Michele brings up; BK has missed the mark in defining their actual target and has hit way off the bull’s eye with this ad. Especially, considering how much more they SHOULD be marketing to the female consumer.

I suppose only time will tell what will happen with this ad or future ads for BK. Let’s all just pray they’re better than this when targeting women. http://tinyurl.com/yh2ap67

By: Burger King Loses Marketing Machismo - Focuses On Women | Market Like A Chick

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 18:28:17 +0000

[...] Michelle Miller, from Wonder Branding, and I have seen eye to eye on the Burger King marketing and thanks to her post last week she has made me aware of Burger King’s new idea. [...]

By: Holly Buchanan

Holly Buchanan — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 16:57:26 +0000

I just have to say – I love Craig Ferguson.

I think it’s possible to super target smaller groups of consumers with specific ads. The key is not to alienate the rest of your customers.

Taco Bell is firmly after young males, but their advertising, from what I’ve seen, isn’t offensive to the rest of their market.

And it goes both ways. I know Michele and I both preach the importance of not bashing men in marketing that’s aimed at women.

By: Phil Wrzesinski

Phil Wrzesinski — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 01:56:20 +0000

Mary,

I agree wholeheartedly. I once heard the argument that since the man drives the vehicle, he chooses where to eat. I assume it was a man who never stayed in a relationship very long:-)

By: Mary Dean/ KickSkirt

Mary Dean/ KickSkirt — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 23:28:35 +0000

Phil, you are so right about this being a mistake that runs rampant amongst brands with mass appeal – they go for a big hit with a small segment and ignore the rest. It’s certainly worth noting how often the world’s most powerful consumer (women) are the segment that’s not just overlooked, but insulted and alienated in the process.

For me the Burger King case brings up a couple of other questions
1. Even if their super fan was a male 18-34, is this kind of advertising OK?
2. Why does Burger King stay with an agency (Crispin Porter) that has managed to insult hispanics and women repeatedly (Remember the sponge bob square pants debacle?)
3. How long will it take brands to figure out that when your market includes almost everyone, you need to make sure you take care of the toughest consumer (women) first. Once you can win her, chances are you’ll be delivering a better product, message, service to everyone. And then we all win. Including the bottom line.

By: Phil Wrzesinski

Phil Wrzesinski — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 20:22:28 +0000

Michelle,

BK has made the same mistake many companies make, thinking that their core market segment can be defined by age, gender or income. Everyone eats, therefore everyone is their potential market. If they only focus on a small portion of that group (and with their misguided ads, a small portion of that demographic), they miss out on many potential customers.

The best lesson for all of us is to focus not on some small demographic at the expense of all others but on the values or traits that our business shares with customers from all demographics.

By: Mary Schmidt Marketing Troubleshooter » TGIF Web Round-Up

Mary Schmidt Marketing Troubleshooter » TGIF Web Round-Up — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 18:29:24 +0000

[...] Miller on Burger King’s Marketing To Women (Well, at least this campaign is better than the S&M dominatrix one I saw in Germany a couple [...]

By: Tracy

Tracy — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 17:44:46 +0000

Michelle,
Great post. When you look at what McDonald’s has done with moms over the last few years you wonder why Burger King waited so long to realize who they should be targeting. It will be very interesting to see what comes next for BK.