The Big Fat Marketing Blog

Burger King’s at it again, courting controversy and grabbing up buzz by the handful.

The chain that brought you the “Whopper Virgin” campaign (loud outcry from the one-worlders who accused it of patronizing colonialism) and the “Whopper Sacrifice” (loud outcry from Facebook, which pulled the app down for violating its un-friending terms and conditions) is backing raising a ruckus. And this time the king and his agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky are dragging SpongeBob SquarePants into the fray. more

If the police aren’t called and a human hasn’t been injured, can a promotion that goes terribly wrong, but ultimately emerges as a good thing, be turned into a case study that can be successful for other marketers?

Let’s take the case of Domino’s.

As many of you know, the pizza maker and its agency, dreamed up the idea of a special, limited time promotion last December to give away free medium-size pizzas as the country buzzed about bailouts. The computer system was programmed to accept the word “bailout” in a promotion code box to activate the offer. But the promotion never got the green light and the team moved on to other ideas never deactivating the offer.

more

After serving 2 million people a free Grand Slam breakfast in February, Denny’s is asking those people it treated to a satisfying meal to come back and buy one. And if they do, Denny’s will give their friend a free Grand Slamwich.

Many of the people who took advantage of the initial offer will likely feel compelled to return. Denny’s extended a hefty serving of goodwill and Americans embraced it at a time when, as one customer put it, “we all needed a hug.” It dished up something often missing from the modern American psyche, a neighborly gesture.

more

We’ve all heard the stories. Banks and giant insurance companies that have accepted bailout funds caught red-handed abusing those taxpayer dollars: The auto guys flying around in corporate jets and AIG planning lavish parties, just to name a few notable blunders.

Now, an even more sinister plot has been uncovered, a scratch-off game.

more

In small ways, the message that promotions need to address people’s needs beyond price is seeping out into the marketing industry.

The latest brand to try to take the worry out of buying is men’s apparel chain Jos. A. Bank Clothiers. They’re offering customers who buy a suit during their $199 sale—which lasts through April 9—the chance to keep both the suit and the cost (up to $199) if they lose their job between April 16 and July 1 of this year. more

OK, I just have to ask: Who at either Southwest Airlines or Sports Illustrated thought it would be a good idea to wrap a Boeing 737 in the airline’s fleet with an image of model Bar Refaeli, the cover girl for the 2009 SI swimsuit issue? more