Burger King is a company that excels in frequent and often headline-grabbing ad executions. “Burn That Ad” was just one such innovation in 2019 that encouraged fans to use AR to virtually set fire to competitors’ billboards in Brazil. That is just one example of the company good-humoured baiting of its fellow fast food merchants. So it is somewhat surprising to discover that the company’s latest brand refresh is actually the first time it has touched its iconic logo in 20 years.
What is also amusing is that its first rebrand is more like a rewind, taking it back to its 1990s, some might say classic, iteration.
JKR Global, the agency behind the rebrand, states that it had set out to “make the brand less synthetic and artificial, and more real, crave-able and tasty” adding that it is “a refined design that’s confident, simple and fun.” Popular culture has already taken the new/old design and run with it, popping up in Minecraft courtesy of @franciscotupy.
The ‘synthetic and artificial’ point is important, as the company had previously announced in February that it had removed all the colours, flavourings and preservatives from artificial sources – a process that Global CMO Fernando Machado revealed had taken four years to achieve.
To prove the company’s point, it released the Moldy Whopper ad campaign that showed a burger decomposing over a ‘natural’ amount of time, rather than the absurdly healthy-looking alternatives that remained more pristine due to their additives.
The company’s rebrand, though taking us back to its 1990s identity, carries more of a 1970s vibe, particularly in the restaurant staff uniforms and typeface. However it has been largely well-received and we look forward to seeing what it comes up with next – in 2041.
Featured image: JKR Global