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Burger King: Unfriend 10 Facebook friends, get a free Whopper
January 8th, 2009, 9:39 am · 20 Comments · posted by Nancy Luna, Staff Writer
When will the madness end at Burger King?
The publicity department at Burger King (NYSE:BKC) is at it again with another campaign that is sure to disturb many — including your best friend. The nation’s No. 2 burger chain is offering Facebook users a coupon for a free Whopper if they “unfriend” 10 people from their social network database.
After reading about the crazy campaign on The Hamburger Today blog, I immediately went to Facebook to see if the program was legit.
Sure enough, I spotted Whopper Sacrifice challenge. Here’s an excerpt from the ad copy:
“What would you do for a free WHOPPER? Would you insult an elected official? Would you do a naked handstand? Would you go so far as to turn your back on friendship?”
It goes on to say that if you “sacrifice” 10 friends on your Facebook profile, you’ll get a free Whopper.
But wait, it gets better. When you initiate the program, the application pulls up the mug shots of all your friends — taunting you to make picks as they stare you in the face.
Then the big warning comes: Once you select someone to unfriend, the program will — insert gasp here — notify that person that you have sacrificed them for a burger! (And, by the way, ‘friend’ is now a verb, as my Facebook friend June keeps telling me.)
(1/15: Update: EaterLA reports the Whopper/Facebook application has been disabled due to overwhelming ‘friend’ rejections. More than 233,000 sacrificed!)
Unfriending on Facebook is common. But the social networking site does have manners. You can unfriend people discreetly so they are not notified when you boot them off your profile.
I didn’t complete the Whopper challenge because I was unwilling to insult someone by unfriending them — even for fun.
Would you?
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- Burger King’s Whopper Virgins campaign
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- Burger King value menu dish tops “worst” food list
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What a lame campaign. If people can spend money to recieve internet service, they can shell out a few bucks for a burger.
Is it really worth the extra calories to “unfriend” a friend….I think not!!
It’s just a friggin’ burger people.
Stick it to Burger King.
Create 10 bogus friends with 10 fake emails you create of google or yahoo. Then, dump those 10 friends and you have your free Whopper.
Sure, it’s too much work for a free burger…and Burger King still got their free pub…but you scored a point for civility and possibly thwarted corporate greed.
Just a thought…
I personally think it is a great campaign. I would be honored to be Unfriended by someone for a whopper. I think it is funny and people will get a kick out of it. It certainly will create Buzz, which is what Burger King is going for.
Also, just readd your friends after you get your whopper. But personally I have plenty of “friends” who wouldn’t even care as they are not that close.
I can beat this challenge. All you have to do is add celebrities, or people you don’t know, and then unfriend them…so as to not insult your ACTUAL friends. What retards! Nice try Burger King!
Hmmmmmm, oh wait a minute…friends or a whopper…hmmmmmmmm oh never mind, I’ll keep my friends…
Is it true if kill a friend you get the value meal with drink and fries ??
This is GREAT!!! They should do the same thing with MySpace. Anyone 25+ who uses these social sites needs to get a life anyway.
I think it is tacky but the whole “WhopperVirgins” campaign is a stupid and patronizing idea. And I’m a big Burger King fan! The only thing dumber is that stupid plastic king head mascot. One would hardly guess this is a national corporation, it is such amateur hour stuff. I guess the decline started with the subservient chicken website.
BK, why don’t you base your appeal on the quality of your products and responsiveness to consumers than on some gimmicky promotion? It’s just really lame. And, again, I’m a frequent customer!
What I might do is add ten friends to my Facebook account and skip a meal at Burger King.
Sounds like a plan, Christian. See ya on the short bus.
Who wants a “Gristle Burger” anyways?? They suck.
I wouldn’t give anyone a whopper, let alone a friend, those burgers are nasty!!!
I can go to BK in Fullerton on Harbor between Orangethorpe and the 91 and get a Whopper for 99 cents any time.
Not much savings.
bk sux-ill beat my own meat
I would tell my friends what I’m up to and then readd them after I get my burger. I’m not planning to do it though, I’m too lazy!
Facebook is turning into the yellow pages coupon section.
These quirky campaigns are great. I guess all the complainers prefer the traditional, clear, and sensical advertising of a painted clown petting kids. Or, a chiuahua spouting cliche spanish. Consdiering the corporate bs ads out there, the whopper virgins, flame broiled meat cologne, and lost wallet campaigns are a breath of fresh air.
I would NEVER have a facebook account. Come on people!! Get out of your house and go MEET people!!
i received my coupon in the mail a few days ago, and i went to use it yesterday. believe it or not, i have never actually had a whopper before- it was pretty tasty.