Thog's Science Masterclass #17 (I think)

[realthog]

Thanks to blogger Elizabeth Gettelman on the Mother Jones magazine's site for this:

Burger King, Carl's Jr. Remind Us: Burgers = Sex, Duh

Two sexy burger ad revelations today. First, the burger-as-blow-job Burger King ad burst onto the scene, second, The Hills' Audrina Partridge becomes the latest scantily clad lady to make love to, I mean, to lustily eat a Carl's Jr. burger. [. . .]

The fine-print on this choice Burger King ad:

"Fill your desire for something long, juicy and flame-grilled with the NEW BK SUPER SEVEN INCHER. Yearn for more after you taste the mind-blowing burger that comes with a single beef patty, topped with American cheese, crispy onions and the A1 Thick and Hearty Steak Sauce." [. . .]

In all seriousness, the BK ad is disgusting, but perhaps a bigger deal than degrading ads is that these burgers are really, really bad for us, and for the planet. [. . .] BK doesn't yet list the 7-incher's nutritional profile yet but its Double Whopper with cheese has 1,010 calories and 24 grams of saturated fat, 66 grams total [. . .]

And since Burger King is going racy and explicit in targeting sex-crazed burger eaters, maybe they could unstraddle that fence they're riding with their homepage web promotion touting their commitment to kids, healthy meals, and active lifestyles. "Hey parents!" it exclaims. Hey parents is right.

Just in case you want to know, here's the pic BK are using to help extol the virtues of their succulent 7-incher:

I suppose this could be seen as a way of reducing teenage pregnancies -- you know, because teen girls will think twice if they believe they might find themselves in bed with one of Burger King's products -- but it's hard otherwise to see the campaign as anything more than obnoxiously crass. And, of course, it's promoting perhaps the most extraordinarily unhealthy and environmentally irresponsible diet one might imagine.

Topical Etiquette Hint: If you wish to send letters of protest to your local elected officials, this mightn't be le moment juste to choose John Ensign or Mark Sanford as addressee.

Comments

[rose-lemberg.livejournal.com]

I can't believe this BK ad is for real. It is so incredibly offensive and disgusting.

[realthog.livejournal.com]

It's like they had a competition at the ad agency to see who could be the most offensive, and this was the winner.