Do Advertisers Need Manners?

Manners and social etiquette are a cornerstone of society. Of course, there are those that bend or break the rules. There are people who stand too close for comfort, folks that always under tip and guests that wear out their welcome. When unstated social rules are broken, social invitations fall by the wayside and offenders are written off as “weird”.

What happens when advertisers break codes of conduct?

Unfortunately, the brand usually suffers.

A recent example is the uncouth Fox/ Burger King advertisment that included fat jokes about Jessica Simpson, digs at Tony Romo’s performance and the chances of Wade Phillips coaching next year. Besides not being funny, it doesn’t make sense for a fast food chain to bring up fat jokes. As an AdAge article points out, this makes even less sense when the brunt of the jokes is skinnier than most of its consumers.

Burger King’s long time advertising agency had nothing to do with the production of this skit. However, if they had, Burger King would have faced the backlash–not the agency. The lesson learned here is that taking jabs at celebrities can be funny, but they can also cross the line. In my opinion, this one did because the jokes didn’t make sense from a comedic or strategic viewpoint. Going for a shock value is one thing, but if you intend to mock someone, at least loop your advertising agency into the discussion. You pay them for strategic council after all, and hopefully, they went to finishing school.