Global Advertising Campaigns

1. Global Advertising Campaigns The Advertising Industry

2. The history of Burger King International fast food chain Burger King has employed varied advertising programs, both successful and unsuccessful, since its foundation in 1954. During the 1970s, output included a memorable jingle, the inspiration for its current mascot the Burger King and several well-known and parodied slogans such as: ‘Have it your way’ and ‘It takes two hands to hold a Whopper’.

3. Starting in the early 1980s and running through approximately 2002, BK engaged a series of ad agencies that produced many unsuccessful slogans and programs, including its biggest advertising flop ‘Where's Herb’? The BK advertisements may have been unsuccessful due to the high level of competition between major fast-food outlets. It seems clear that these adverts, especially ‘Where’s Herb?’ would not be understood by foreign viewers, thus making it niche to the USA.

4. A series of viral web-based advertisements to compliment the various television and print promotional campaigns on sites such as MySpace and various BK corporate pages were created. These viral ad campaigns, coupled with other new campaigns and a series of new product introductions, drew considerable positive and negative attention to BK and helped TPG and its partners realize about $367 million in dividends. So clearly their strategies worked well. However, improvements could have been made when globally advertising. More relevance to the target audiences would have benefited BK. For example: advertising tie-ins with new movies may be relevant in western societies, though elsewhere, it may have no interest. (E.g. Toy Story, Star Wars and Pokemon have all been used to advertise BK over the past 30 years).

5. McDonalds started the launch of a new $100M ad campaign that is promoting their McCafe rollout and an expanded espresso and coffee menu. In Europe, they are beginning to roll out the new ‘Green’ stores, in order to positively promote healthy living and show McDonalds in a better light, going against preconceptions. McDonalds

6. In the UK, the McDonalds adverts have changed from the idea of just simply eating, to the idea of sustaining your environment, e.g. ‘Going Green’. They are also trying to run with the idea of British production, as it would be better and more cost effective than imported meats. 100% British Beef would not apply globally. When advertising the kids Happy Meals, previously they advertised, for example, burgers/chips/coke, but more recently, they have changed them so to promote healthy eating. Nowadays, they show fish fingers/carrot sticks and milk, for example.

7. Adidas uses celebrity endorsements as an advertising technique, this is proved successful as they use a global figure such as David Beckham. The campaign ‘Impossible is Nothing’ was one of his most famous adverts that he has starred in. On a worldwide scale, the usage of such a prolific athlete is globally recognised as a refection of Adidas being a world class brand. Adidas

8. Gillette • Recent campaigns utilised famous athletes such as Roger Federer and Tiger Woods. • Unsurprisingly, Woods was dropped as being their frontman after his sexual endeavours. • The celebrity endorsement features have now been dropped completely, to show more focus on new razors.