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 honchos at Burger King to finally wise-up and understand who buys their product. Women.
Yes, women. Which means, Burger King has been targeting the WRONG customer. For the past few years, the fast-food chain has been trying to woo males, ages 18- 34. (Oops!)
But here’s the kicker: Burger King’s marketing was equally ineffective at persuading this male demographic.
Allow me to explain: Burger King never tried to convince male consumers that buying a Whopper was a good thing to do. Instead, Burger King tried to entice male consumers with images of sex, which included mind-numbing, cheesy gimmicks such as the Super Seven Incher, Sponge Bob Square Butt and meat-scented body spray.
Not surprisingly, it didn’t work. You see, marketing ploys and gimmicks are equivalent to falsely screaming fire in a crowded theater. These tactics have a short shelf life, and will eventually hurt your credibility.
At the heart of it all, Burger King’s marketing was focused on being surprising and entertaining. But, entertainment is NOT the goal of marketing. The goal of marketing is to persuade. Just know that ploys and gimmicks rarely persuade because they lack relevancy. And your brain immediately discounts that which is irrelevant – even if the information surprises you a little.
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