Burger King Pushes to Get Out the Vote
It may be good to be the king, but there’s a lot to be said for representative democracy too. And Burger King is giving Facebook users a way to say it loud and proud.
In 2004 the quick-service chain used celebrity ads featuring Snoop Dogg, Michelle Branch and P. Diddy to encourage fans and diners to go to the polls and “Have It Your Way ‘04”. This election cycle, the quick-service chain is foregoing the stars and making its second voting message viral with social media applications in Facebook and MySpace.
Visitors to the Web site www.HaveitYourWay08.com can click through to either Facebook or MySpace. Once there, they can access the applications by first taking a short “Poll-a-Rizer’ survey on ten major political issues from offshore drilling to the troop surge in Iraq. Users can register their sentiments from liberal to conservative by moving a slider with their profile page photo to the left or right on each question.
Once the questionnaire is complete, users can see how their views stack up against social network friends who have also downloaded the application and taken the survey. They can also choose to name selected friends as trusted “advisers” or staunch “opponents” in the run-up to the Nov. 4 election.
The HaveItYourWay08.com site also links to www.RockTheVote.com, where visitors can register to vote.
TV spots that began airing last night promote the “Have It Your Way ‘08” campaign with a montage of real-life drive-thru guests placing customized food orders. Just as Burger King restaurant guests aren’t afraid to ask for what they want, so voters need to speak up for their choices, the spot says.
“At its core, the Burger King brand promise is all about empowerment and choice, and there is no better time than a national election to reinforce the importance of exercising the ultimate choice—the right to vote,” Burger King vice president of marketing impact Brian Gies said in a statement.
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