Burger King made headlines earlier this year after deciding to leave global AOR Mother for David just as it had left CP+B for mcgarrybowen.
David’s most prominent work for the client to date concerned the debut of an especially colorful Whopper at San Francisco’s Gay Pride parade, but this new campaign reminds us that the chain continues to turn work with other agencies. The spot comes from Culver City agency Pitch, which has been working with BK for over a decade; Pitch was the only creative shop to survive Burger King’s January purge.
How many dated references appear in this ad?
Yes, the Yumbo is — or was — a real thing. Like the McRib, it appeared briefly and then grew tastier by virtue of its own absence.
Culver City, CA-based Pitch has just launched an NCAA March Madness campaign for tournament sponsor Burger King, the agency’s first since taking over for Mother NY on BK general market duties in January (Pitch has been in charge of youth/family ad duties since 2010).
For the campaign, entitled “Watch Like A King,” Burger King and Pitch have teamed up with iconic Fab Five member, former NBA star and current NBA TV/TNT analyst Chris Webber, who stars in the Final Four 2 for $5 “Watch Like A King” spot. The 30 second spot sees a fan tell the guy in front of him in a Chris Webber jersey, “Seriously dude, we’re trying to watch the…” at which point Webber turns around and the man lets out a comical scream. Webber then asks him about his two sandwiches for five bucks from Burger King, and they work out a mutually beneficial agreement. The new spot, which unfortunately does not involve Webber attempting to call a timeout, will debut on March 16th. Webber will also be in attendance at the NCAA Men’s Final Four in Dallas cheering on participants of the Burger King-sponsored Kings of the Court 3-on-3 Tournament.
Meanwhile, from today through April 7th, fans can follow @BurgerKing on Twitter and tweet why they deserve to “Watch Like A King” and/or post a NCAA-themed photo with the hashtag #WatchLikeAKing for a chance to win a prize, including “$100 Burger King Crown Cards, mobile phone projectors, flat screen TVs, tickets to the NCAA Final Four and much more.”
“We know March Madness is about the fans, games and of course the student-athletes, so we’re celebrating by partnering with the NCAA to provide the fan base with a viewing experience fit for a king,” says Eric Hirschhorn, chief marketing officer, North America, Burger King Worldwide.
In addition to television and social media, Pitch’s “Watch Like A King” campaign will also feature experiential elements, details of which have yet to be released (but according to the credits you can expect “Throne Installation” and “Crown Headbands,” so that should give you some idea). Stick around for those credits after the jump. continued…
Fresh off of nabbing general market ad duties from Mother NY for Burger King earlier this month, Culver City, CA-based agency Pitch has made some moves within its creative department. Most notably, the agency has promoted Xanthe Wells, most recently executive creative director, to the role of chief creative officer. Wells (pictured above) joined Pitch as ECD in early 2013 after spending over seven years at TBWA\Chiat\Day L.A., where she worked with clients ranging from Kraft to Pepsi. The new CCO replaces Eric Springer, who left Pitch for the top creative gig at Draftfcb last year.
Along with the Wells promotion, Pitch has also welcomed aboard fellow Chiat LA alum Gage Clegg, who, along with his significant other, Becca Morton, parted ways with the latter agency last spring (but subsequently stayed on as GCD). Clegg joins up with Pitch as group creative director.
For their first rebranding effort in 40 years, Meineke has enlisted the help of YouTube sensation Robby Novak, better known as “Kid President.” Novak is cast as Meineke’s “Kid Mechanic” for the new campaign “Drive A Little Smarter,” developed by Pitch, which features television spots, outdoor, print and digital marketing. But the rebranding doesn’t stop there, extending even to a new logo and uniforms.
The short TV spots — “Transmission,” “Oil Change” and “General Car Care” — are simple yet effective (and propelled by music from a certain Devo member). “Drive A Little Smarter” (which also functions as Meineke’s new tagline) seeks to educate customers on how short-term maintenance can prevent long-term issues (and thus save you money). They seem to be built around Novak’s natural charm and funny facial expressions, with an almost off-the-cuff feel. Banking on Novak’s charm and familiarity seems like a pretty safe bet, after all this is a kid who has tacked up over 20 million YouTube views. Novak doesn’t stray far from the humorous optimism he perfected with his viral YouTube work for SoulPancake, and his familiarity should work to Meineke’s advantage, keeping TV viewers in the room when they recognize “Kid President.” Child actors can go from charming to annoying pretty quickly, but it’s hard to imagine anyone hating on the winsome “Kid Mechanic.” I’m sure the comments section will prove me wrong, though. Credits and second video after the jump. continued…
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