“Chicken just the way you like it” is a promise that sounds a little bit … well, BS. But it took on a whole other dimension in this pioneering campaign that delivered a website where a person in a chicken outfit, in what seemed to be some kind of motel room or dull rental apartment, would do their best to meet your requirements.
Agency: Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Miami
Creative Direction: Andrew Keller, Jeff Benjamin
Art Direction: Mark Taylor
Copywriter: Bob Cianfrone
Illustrator: Pres Rodriguez
Production Company: The Barbarian Group
"This is an example that made me keenly aware that digital is not driven by technology, but by people. At the time, there were no Burger King restaurants in Japan, but everyone in Japan discovered Burger King’s playful side. This opened up a new era of communication, where people tell other people. Burger King’s personality has been consistent from this time until now, and it is wonderful."
- Yasu Sasaki, Global Chief Creative Officer, Dentsu
It appealed particularly to the 16-35 male with and that was exactly who needed to be drawn back through the Burger King doors. BK was in trouble, decline had set in and a bold move was needed. The resulting viral triumph was a pioneering interactive campaign, a populist phenomena able to generate massive earned media. It helped turn out around Burger King and was a key step in how we got to the integrated interactive everything that we live in today. This is probably the most important chicken costume in global history. And further proof that creativity does pay: in 2004 BK’s performance turned around and its sales growth surpassed McDonald’s.
PS: In truth, the chicken was not doing everything to order. More than 400 commands had been filmed to correspond to the most likely demands. The system was coded to find an appropriate response or to decline the commands, offering a good reason why, and inviting you to try again.
