I apologize in advance for yet another ad from the wonderful world of fast food, but I simply could not pass up posting about a new Burger King deal, which sort of redeems their Whopper Virgin campaign. Dubbed, Whopper Sacrifice, the new “campaign” comes in the form of a Facebook app, which is in essence a coupon delivery mechanism for a free Whopper. Free Whopper you say, let me tell you more. The name of the Whopper Sacrifice game is to dump 10 pseudo-friends on Facebook, and receive a free sandwich. Strangely enough, the dumped parties are notified that you let them go for a burger, thereby perpetuating more burger-fueled sacrifices.
Jeff Benjamin, executive interactive creative director, said the agency and client were careful to make the application lighthearted rather than “vindictive.” “The friend removal is another kind of socializing,” he said. “At first you think it’s antisocial, but it’s a social device.” And as fast as we’ve introduced you to this new burger-producing app, I have to dash your dreams of a free meal. After over 230,000 friends were dumped for a Whopper, Facebook shut down the application, although I can’t blame them. Facebook makes money through advertising, and they certainly cannot sell advertising space if we’ve dumped all our friends, and have no reason to use their service. Thus it’s highly doubtful that you’ll ever see another application like this one. Bravo BK!