Can a marketer really succeed by not offending anyone? Snickers pulled its two-guys-kissing ad because gay activists complained. GM is under fire for an ad that shows a robot contemplating suicide in a dream sequence. Frankly, I’m surprised no one has complained at the Bud Light spot which shows people slapping each other instead of pounding fists. Doesn’t that spot encourage violence in era when California legislators are contemplating a bill than makes spanking a kid a crime? Shouldn’t Burger King be under pressure from DUMB (Don’t Understand Masked Behavior) activists? Where does this stop?
For marketing to cut through, it must combine elements of surprise, emotion and relevance. Surprise general means doing something against the norm. Touching an emotional chord requires expressing a feeling that may not be appropriate for every social group. Being relevant to your target requires focus and messaging that could go right over the heads of other consumers.
Let’s look at Burger King for the moment. Crispin turned The King into an icon 3 years ago. Many thought he was creepy. Jay Leno thought he was hysterical and had him on his show multiple times and created a fantasy video where The King ends up pinching his wife. Other folks created pictures of The King in bed with everyone from Paris Hilton to Saddam Hussein. Clearly, these images would offend somebody. Recent ads featuring a father-burger giving his son-burger advice were ripe with sexual innuendo. Surely teetotalers in Toledo must have been offended about these too. Did BK care? Not in the least. In fact, their CMO’s freely admits to favoring the “provocative over the pleasant.” Why? Because as reported by USA Today:
Burger King is laser-focused on its key customer: the ‘superfan. That’s BK’s term for th mostly 18 to 35-year old males who gobble fast food at the devil-may-care clip of nine to 16 times a moth. While they’re just 18% of Burger King’s customers, they account for about half of all visits to the stores.
Has this un-PC, laser-focused marketing approach worked for BK? You bet! Sales are up for the 11th consecutive quarter. Creating highly entertaining marketing that has special appeal to one target group is not just a good idea it is about the only way to succeed in our highly fragmented media world. Marketing for Good does not suggest purposely offending anyone but for heaven’s sake one man’s perfect pitch is another man’s strike out. To appeal to all is appeal to none. To be melodramatic for a moment, the shackles of political correctness could maim if not mortally wound this industry. Rant over.