Burger Test (ending world hunger as we know it).

Crispin, Porter and Bogusky just deputed their new BK Whopper Virgin campaign. Apparently they went to all out and hired a well known producer or something, but in essence they made a "taste test" spot (very late 80s of them). The twist...taking a Big Mac and Whopper to the out skirts of the world: 1.) a rural farming village in Romania, 2.) a remote village in Thailand and 3.) to an outpost in Greenland and letting locals taste and judge. There is also some sort of count down to the results here at the micro site. 

The first thing that caught my attention in the spot I saw on TV (not the one above) is how ugly and beat up  they made the Big Mac look. Perception is key. Why would a remote villager pick the sloppy looking burger? Wouldn't you want 2 of the most perfect looking burgers so that judgment is not swayed by what I like to call "the first interview-dressed up" mistake. The second thing that came to mind is almost exactly what Jane said on her own blog, "If you have to go to the ends of civilization to find someone who likes your burger, you might be in the wrong business." I get the idea...they are puritans, unscathed by commercialism hence a great testing group. But who really cares? The third...if its a spot for burger king...why are you making it a timed anticipation campaign? I think we all could instinctively guess the results, which is why I stopped listening half way through the spot. Unless, the result is mad cow disease. That would be a twist.  

What I didn't think about was how offensive this campaign is. Sharon Akabas of the Institute of Human Nutrition at Columbia University said, "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?" Hmmmm, a little off target, but there is something sketchy about forcing our enlightened Western culture upon these rural populations (aka driving our gas guzzling Hummers filled with film crews and fast food and consumerism, smashing and selling everything in our way). It's kinda like that movie Fern Gully, minus the catchy songs and the druggy cartoon bat. Like Jane said so eloquently..."Why is it that WASPy white people are always the first to get offend on the behalf of other people? That to me is more offensive, because the poor uncivilised farmer is too stupid to be offended by this, so the educated and civilized white man will be offended on this behalf." Are you guys offended? I'm not. 

Lastly to the copy point above, taken from the site :"If you want a real opinion about a burger, ask someone who doesn't even have a word for burger." My question to you Burger King (a rebuttal if you will) is....do they-the someones- have words for a piece of cooked meat in between two pieces of bread? Let's say it slowly....MEEEAAAAATTTTT....BREEAAAAAAD. Cause that's all the Whopper is....if that...

Stab.