Burger King

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Burger King (BK) is an American multinational chain of hamburger fast food restaurants. Headquartered in Miami-Dade County, Florida, the company was founded in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida–based restaurant chain. Burger King's menu has expanded from a basic offering of burgers, French fries, sodas, and milkshakes to a larger and more diverse set of products. In 1957, the "Whopper" became the first major addition to the menu, and it has become Burger King's signature product since.[1]

Mary J. Blige Burger King Commercial

Screengrab from Mary J. Blige Burger King Commercial.

The ad features the R&B star Mary J. Blige soulfully singing the virtues of the fast-food chain’s new chicken wrap. (Jay Leno, David Beckham, and Selma Hayek appear in similar ads as part of a larger attempt to rebrand the fast-food giant).

In the clip, Blige dressed in a black leather jacket and shades, stands in a disco-lit BK franchise and belting out lyrics to the tune of her song "Don't Mind," about the chicken sandwich: “Crispy chicken, fresh lettuce, three cheeses, ranch dressing wrapped up in a tasty… flour… tortilla.”[2]

Controversy

This ad was widely criticized for playing into African-American stereotypes. The blog Madame Noir criticized Blige’s performance as “buffoonish,” and ad writer Thembisa S. Mshaka says the issue rooted from “the tone-deaf representation of black women in advertising” that perpetuates “the stank, sassy, abrasive but entertaining ‘soul sista’ ” stereotype. Mshaka goes on to compare Blige’s Burger King ad with those of her peers:

“Of all the endorsers, Mary is the only one who is rude, terse, and invasive. She interrupts the store manager with a sound-check type mic squeal — from ATOP a restaurant table. Leno, Salma and Beckham have sweet, fun dispositions — and are ALL at the counter, like normal people. Mary appears out of nowhere, mad for no reason, over the contents of a chicken wrap, which she proceeds to outline in a song where she’s not so much singing as belting.”[3]

Clarification

Burger King has apologized for releasing the add by saying that the ad was unplugged because of licensing issues but Blige has a slightly different story.

Blige says that the commercial is totally different from the concept she was presented when she signed on to be one of the fast-food chain's spokespeople in its new campaign. She also apologized for the as, saying she didn't approve the final version.

"I agreed to be a part of a fun and creative campaign that was supposed to feature a dream sequence. Unfortunately, that's not what was happening in that clip, so I understand my fans being upset by what they saw. But, if you're a Mary fan, you have to know I would never allow an unfinished spot like the one you saw to go out."[4]

Blige added that she was originally sold on the idea that she would “be shot in an iconic way” for the ad and that she’d seen it as “a great branding opportunity.” She also said that while she understood the jokes about the spot looking back, the experience also showed her who her real friends were. “Busta Rhymes hit me and he was like, “Are you ok, sis? I see what you were trying to do,'” recalled Blige. “Fat Joe hit me; he was like, ‘Yo, we don’t care about that stupid chicken commercial or whatever. We love you, Mary, and we know what you were trying to do.”‘[5]

According to Burger King, the reason the spot was yanked from the Web was because the ad was “released prematurely before all of the licensing and final approvals were obtained.” They also apologize to Blige saying, “we would like to apologize to Mary J. and all of her fans for airing an ad that was not final. We know how important Mary J. is to her fans, and we are currently in the process of finalizing the commercial. We hope to have the final ad on the air soon.”[6]

References


  1. Burger King. Retrieved on December 25, 2020.
  2. Rahman,Ray (2012). Burger King pulls Mary J. Blige ad, faces outcry over 'racist' overtones. Retrieved on December 25, 2020.
  3. Rahman. Ray (2012). Burger King pulls Mary J. Blige ad, faces outcry over 'racist' overtones. Retrieved on December 25, 2020.
  4. Russell, Mallory (2012). Mary J. Blige Blasts Burger King Over 'Racist' Commercial She Stars In. Retrieved on December 25, 2020.
  5. Rolling Stone. Mary J. Blige: Burger King Chicken Ad Fallout ‘Crushed Me’. Retrieved on December 25, 2020.
  6. Rivas, Jorgre (2012). Burger King Apologizes for Mary J. Blige Chicken Ad. Retrieved on December 25, 2020.