Times have changed.
So the other day, I'm driving to the store to grab some kibble for Marley, my Jack Terrier, and I see this advertisement from Burger King slapped across the side of a building. I guess you could say my jaw basically unhinged and rolled all the way to New Orleans.
Burger King is no longer my go-to fast food joint for midnight snack runs anymore. Nope. I am not going to fall for their traps. One being the advertisement above, which clearly objectifies the lady in it. (Personally, I'm also judging her for agreeing to be in an advertisement as such...tsk tsk.)If you can't already tell, this post is going to be a RANT about this atrocious act of advertisement.
And in case you can't tell, the ad shows the model looking as if she were to give the Burger King Super Seven Incher a 'good time', if you know what I mean.
What? Where did all the gold crowns go?
This ad is definitely on the list of things that I will never understand in my life. Ever. I mean, WHY?? I wouldn't want to see this on the walls of the place I celebrated my third to seventh birthdays in. "It'll blow your mind away" is practically plastered across the ad making it seem as though being mind-blown is the only possible outcome of eating this sandwich. Really, the only thing I'm "mind-blown" about is the fact that they had the nerve to come up with an ad like this. The text, however, also seems like a command to women to consume this burger.
There is obvious sexual innuendo in this saying and I can honestly say that it was not necessary. Seriously. Burger King has already rallied up their army or consumers that would never decrease in number so why go so far as to demean women in this manner? Instead of drawing attention to the juicy, artificially-tasty sandwich, it instead appeals to the crowd with the dehumanization of the model in this advertisement.
So… is this really Burger King?
The spotlight is put on the model and her makeup makes her look utterly innocent, (red lipstick, the thick mascara and an impeccable blond bob? She's basically the main character of any children's book. Ever.) which makes her seem way more obliging to the command on the ad. As I'm writing this, my view on BK just gets worse and worse.
I guess we can all say that sex does sell but it doesn't mean that it is acceptable. Especially in a FAMILY, let me repeat that FAMILY, fast food chain. How about a more neutral, classic ad campaign Burger King? Maybe that would appeal to a wider audience. I'm sure this ad has sparked more of an outrage than increase the desire for this sandwich. In no way is making a women pose in such a way to a burger with such tacky sexual innuendos consider okay.
I'm not so sure if I would be willing to grab a Whopper with my colleagues tomorrow afternoon during our lunch break. Or ever. Such abysmal jokes are starting to appear more in today's advertisements and I'm seriously hoping that that would change. Why has objectifying women suddenly become all the rage? Don't even get me started on the message we're sending out to the future generations.
The model in this ad is obviously shown as needy as the "fine print" on the ad urges women to “fill [their] desire for something long, juicy and flame-grilled” with their new Super Seven Incher - another example of head-shaking innuendo on this ad. As a woman, I can tell you that I am definitely not going to "fill" my "desire" with that sandwich. Instead, I'm going to make myself some pasta, sit back, and enjoy an episode of FRIENDS on my TV. Take that, Burger King.
This entire advertisement is just wrong, wrong, wrong in so many ways. In addition to all the disappointments above, the text in fine print has made the model appear to be needy and in a state where she is available to be bossed around and told what to do.
Honestly, Burger King has had so many successful ad campaigns in the past that I'm sure they didn't need to turn down this junction into Inappropriate Alley. All it does is degrade women and in a way, showcase men as hungry for some "action". The reference to the sexual act does nothing but imply that they only way to appeal to a woman is through her sexual desires and I can tell you that there are myriad other ways in which you could appeal to a woman. Yet, the reputable (or not so reputable anymore) chain has gone for this trashy method of appealing to their customer base.
Why strip all the wonderful aspects of advertisement down to sexuality and desensitize the female population?
I have no words.
That's all I have to say for this ad at this moment. Make sure you like my page on Facebook, follow me on Twitter and download my app for instant updates on posts and other fun stuff!
Read last week's post on American Apparel's disgusting new ad campaign and watch this space for next week's post on what makes an advertising actually appealing to the wider audience.
I also want to know what you think about BK's latest advertising fail - see you all next week!