Burger King’s controversial post-birth meal: Do ‘shock factor’ ads boost sales?

Tindall said: “Research with System1, JCDecaux and Lumen Research has shown that people look at posters for two seconds on average. So, getting brand recall at this time is key. Amazingly, this ad is one of the most 'fluent' we've ever tested. In just two seconds, 89% of viewers know it's for Burger King.

"Even better, when people are done viewing–97% [...] know this ad is for Burger King. This puts it in the top 5% of OOH campaigns for brand recognition.”

Taking inspiration from viral social trends 

According to a LinkedIn post from Andy Hunns, a brand creative director (consultant) at Crowd Angel & Pennyworth Financial, the campaign was inspired by a TikTok trend that highlighted the hunger that mothers experience directly after giving birth.

Just like brands took inspiration from other viral social media trends like ‘brat summer’, Burger King also did the same with this ad campaign. However, the trend heavily featured McDonald’s – the fast food chain's competitor–being the meal that mothers choose, so Burger King took it one step further and owned that insight themselves. 

Hunns said: “One might congratulate them for stealing a march on their rivals by stealing an insight featuring their biggest competitor and owning it. My view, for what it’s worth, is that the Burger King ad is great and the hate towards it (mostly from men I might add) is probably from people who wished they’d thought of it.” 

Grubhub, an online and mobile food delivery service, also took inspiration from this trend with a campaign it launched in July this year called ‘Special Delivery’, in which the brand celebrated the month of August–supposedly the peak baby delivery month in the US–by giving expectant mothers $20 towards their highly anticipated post-birth meals every Wednesday.

What a ‘shock factor’ can do for a brand 

A number of brands, especially on social media, are going down a less traditional route when it comes to advertising with posts that are intended to evoke more of a reaction, such as Duolingo, Surreal Cereal, and many more. 

Burger King isn’t a stranger when it comes to including a shock factor in its ad campaigns. In 2020, the fast-food chain launched a global digital and OOH ad campaign showcasing 'the mouldy whopper' to highlight that its products don’t use any artificial preservatives. 

In 2021, Burger King posted a tweet stating that 'women belong in the kitchen', which again stirred controversy online, but then followed that with tweets that said the company is on a mission to change the gender ratio in the restaurant industry and that it was launching a new scholarship programme to help female Burger King employees pursue their culinary dreams. 

Both campaigns garnered widespread attention on social media and, despite the backlash, kept Burger King as a hot topic of conversation. However, the brand was prepared for the controversy knowing that provocative ads can maintain relevance in a crowded market.

As Tindall noted: “The emotional insight and proactive imagery does its job. Using this data, I think it's a winner. It's anything but dull.”

Cat Anderson, director, international marketing, at Sprout Social, also added that although the Burger King ad led to significant criticism, it also resonated with many mothers that can “relate to the moment of post-birth indulgence” and that it speaks to the idea that women should be free to enjoy what they want after a life-altering event such as childbirth. 

She said: "Brands often leverage shock value to create buzz, particularly on social platforms, where controversy can fuel engagement. Controversial topics can certainly spark visibility and conversation, it's important to also remember that compelling ads often challenge societal norms or reshape the way we think about human behaviour.

“Burger King's willingness to address real, often overlooked experiences—whether through this campaign or their previous ‘mouldy burger’ ad—shows that the line between award-winning creativity and controversy is indeed a fine one. Brands that are bold enough to spark these conversations must also be prepared for the range of responses, but ultimately, these discussions can redefine how we view both the brand and the subjects they highlight.”