Burger King's "Whopper Virgins" Advertisement Ignites Controversy (VIDEO)

The Wall Street Journal reports on Burger King's latest ad campaign, "Whopper Virgins," which is already generating a fair amount of controversy:

The No. 2 burger maker in the U.S. asked farmers in the Transylvania region of Romania, the Hmong tribe of Thailand, and other folks in far-flung places to sample its Whopper alongside McDonald's Big Mac and declare the winner.

One ad, set to begin airing Monday, features images of villagers in traditional garb choosing the Whopper over the Big Mac. A Transylvanian woman, an Inuit tribesman from the Icelandic tundra and others point and, in their native tongues, declare their preference for Burger King's flagship product.

"We traveled to find the most isolated people in the world...the world's purest taste test," a voiceover says.

Burger King says it was trying to find "Whopper Virgins," which is also the name of its campaign. "We wanted to see how the Whopper would perform in a world that didn't have ad or marketing awareness or any sentimental attachments" to either brand, says Russ Klein, president of global marketing, strategy and innovation at Burger King Holdings.

Some critics have called the ad's use of poor villagers offensive, reports the New York Daily News:

"It's outrageous," said Sharon Akabas of the Institute of Human Nutrition at Columbia University. "What's next? Are we going to start taking guns out to some of these remote places and ask them which one they like better?"

"It's insulting," she said, adding that the money used to make the documentary would have been better spent trying to end hunger - not create it.

Marilyn Borchardt, development director for Food First, called the campaign insensitive.

"The ad's not even acknowledging that there's even hunger in any of these places," she said.

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WATCH the ad featuring Thai Hmong tribesman.

WATCH the ad featuring Transylvanian farmers.

Are these ads offensive or is this much ado about nothing? Let us know.

Comments

[PhillipPino]

We have Whopper virgins in the United States. They are called children. And some of them are hungry. Is it ok if we have the kids take this challenge? Would that be offensive to anyone?

Actually my puppy is a whopper virgin. I'll try the challenge on her tomorrow. Would that be ok for people?

[Buzz-kill]

I find it disturbing that a corporate entity would impose its product on the remaining pockets of humanity not yet exposed to fast-food solely for marketing purposes.

The pretext of conducting "scientific" research is obviously a ruse to justify this insensitive exercise.

I feel uneasy about seeing indigenous peoples (in their "colorful native costume") used unwittingly in a campaign intended to make me somehow feel good about my role in the destruction of world culture and the homogenization of humanity.

A subtext of American exceptionalism runs throughout, as when a helicopter flies industrial equipment to remote areas and filmmakers and all the technology they represent patronize local villagers. The implication is that because corporate resources are vast, corporatism is culturally superior: helicopter vs. ox-cart, GORE-TEX® vs. yak-fur, fast-food vs. seal meat.

It probably won't be long before these places are filled with strip malls, and Burger King cups will litter the new highways running through their mountain passes, just as they do in the US (home of other "colorful," indigenous people, now relegated to reservations).

Will these people be better for having had this experience? Was it worth it to find out which mediocre hamburger was "better" than another? Are cultures something that should be frozen and preserved in museums?

I don't know. But my sense is that something valuable is being lost here.

Perhaps one day an extraterrestrial species will visit, and America will be rendered moot by a fantastically successful intergalactic ad campaign.

[Toronto 2008]

This ad perplexes me.
I am a Canadian accountant who lived in Romania in the period 1990 to 1997; I have travelled back since then. The idea of "burger virgins" is not supportable, as both Macdonald's and Burger King are in Romania and are actively promoting themselves. When Macdonald's first opened in 1995 (and I was there - they served champagne in commemorative flutes) there were indeed "hamburger virgins" but now constant television and 13 years of the product means that it is a stretch to assume that there are “hamburger virgins”.
Perhaps local people did it in exchange for a free trip to Bucuresti or Timisoara or Cluj or Sibiu, making the joke on the Burger King team.
I am disappointed, as the ad is playing again on a cultural superiority that forgets that Romania is a sophisticated Central European nation in many ways (for example, usually placing in the first 3 for the International Math Olympiad when Canada and the USA are out of top 10); special clothes are worn only on special days, in the same way that Scots wear kilts for weddings etc. The farm clothing worn is very similar to what farmers everywhere from Portugal to Greece wear.
Has Burger King ever considered how well this ad will play in Romania on the national television network?
Has Burger King considered that this ad can actually hurt local feelings and create an unwelcoming atmosphere for international investment?
Burger King breaks a basic rule "treat others properly".

[nightwingx6]

i'm an American living in Europe and after traveling around the world for the past 5 years, i've realized how great America is, but also how insanely sensitive and über paranoid we can be. i personally think this is a smart ad and is done honestly and tastefully. REEEEEEELL­LLLAAAAAXX­XXXXX people! there really ARE people who have never eaten a burger, let alone left their village. let it go!!!!

[PhillipPino]

Well, as long as you state that you have traveled the world for the last 5 years and like in Europe, I guess this makes you an expert. thanks. I am very relaxed now.

While you are traveling around the world, could you administer the Pepsi Challenge? Or see if those herders really do prefer Jif over Skippy? Thanks for that.

Can't wait for you to come back home and tell everyone here about your adventures.

[guigui3177]

I see nothing wrong w/ this advertisement. I watched the video. People have been claiming that it's wrong to exploit these people. These people were willing participants. Whenever people visit me, I give them a taste of my culture, which I hope they do the same. It's hospitable and a great way to learn and experience something new. I grew up in Houston around many different cultures. Neighbors brought us dishes from their region. We returned the same favor by making them typical Puerto Rican dishes. Every neighbor had something different to show each other. The first apple pie I ever had was from my Kansas neighbor. We taught them how to make Spanish rice. Were we exploiting each other or were we just giving each other a taste of our own culture?
The comment about hunger is more insulting to these people than the advertisement could ever be. Just because these people live in remote villages w/ out the modern conveniences that we have does not mean that they are even close to being hungry. These villagers all seemed to be healthy and eating well. In fact, they did not even seem to be destitute. The only thing they lacked were the materialistic things that we own in today's society. Just because these people don't own IPod's, big screen televisions, and Gucci shoes does not mean that they are poor and hungry. That thought is arrogant, ignorant, and absurd. These people probably eat healthier than most of us.

[MichelleMMM]

Now agencies are making ads bad just to go viral, it's really a new low.

And this BK commercial is not innovative at all. Use the 3rd world all you want to promote your product, but be creative. A third world taste test? OMG... speechless.
http://www.cloudoutloud.tv/2008/12/askcom-ad-is-nauseatingly-creepy/

[MichelleMMM]

Now agencies are making ads bad just to go viral, it's really a new low.

And this BK commercial is not innovative at all. Use the 3rd world all you want to promote your product, but be creative. A third world taste test? OMG... speechless.

http://www.cloudoutloud.tv/2008/1http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/12/04/burger-kings-whopper-virg_n_148582.html#2/askcom-ad-is-nauseatingly-creepy/

[Rockwell]

How do they nut jobs jump from burgers to guns? And the comment "The ad's not even acknowledging that there's even hunger in any of these places". There's hunger in the USA sweetheart. Should every McDonalds commercial end with "there are hungry people in the US, buy them a Big Mac?"

Typical one-note wonders. I'm glad they work the good work they do but stop whining about everything that doesn't feature your cause front and center.

Damn tree huggin, bleeding heart liberals.

[formlessness]

I'm sure everything that Fast Food chains do is offensive to health and nutrition specialists. I see nothing wrong with these commercials they're actually kinda of tame compared to what I have come to expect from these brands. I think that going from complaining about whoopers to speculating on guns is a bit much, and how do they know that these villagers wouldn't have enjoyed a gun comparison more or less than the whoopers? In Trannsylvania hunting is big business, it brings tourism and money to the area. Do they think they hunt Bears in the Trannsylvanian forests with pitchforks and fire like some old Dracula movie? I think those villagers would like a gun demo way more than a free hamburger.

All they did was give them hamburgers! They didn't exploit them or mock them or disrespect them in any way shape or form, they merely gave them free food and asked for their opinions.

[ListenPeople]

From Whoppers to guns?? Woah! Hold on a minute. If I'm not mistaken gun powder was discovered in China centuries ago when America as we know didn't exist? And how is a business that wants to sell hamburgers going to acknowledge hunger in far-away places? You clearly don't want them to put an American burger stand there, right? And if someone is hungry in the urban centers of the United States, they tend to go to Burger King or McDonalds, not Whole Foods.

The quotes in this article are extremely poor arguments for criticing Burger King and they come from reputable organizations, which is disappointing.

[Quilter]

Burger King should hire Andrew Zimmerman for their next ad campaign. He'll eat anything.

[Horus]

Sometimes, if I'm particularly hungry and on the road I will stop and get a burger from one of these places. I always think they taste pretty good going down but I always feel kinda sick and lethargic after having eaten one. It just doesn't sit well. Probably because I usually cook my own food from the grocery store. Anyway, as soon as I saw this the first thing I could think of was how sick these people will probably feel after eating both a Whopper and a Big Mac.

[salamfall]

O! Great!, the message is stuff your face with crap!

[sposton]

They are chaste no more.

[eShirl]

Now I'm hungry.
Paging Dr. Pavlov!