Whopper Freak-Out Wins Ad Effectiveness Award

I received a mailing with the agenda for the Association of National Advertisers' Marketing Accountability and Effectiveness Conference in New York on June 2. This looks like a good event, covering all the usual-but-useful bases: proving the value of marketing (Enterprise Rent-a-Car), earning a place at the "C-suite" table (panel led by Ernst & Young), advanced analytics (VG Corporation) and media optimization (Citizens Bank).

But my favorite is an "EFFIE" Award for Burger King, for its "Whopper Freak-out" campaign, which "explored deprivation to see what would happen if America's most beloved burger was removed from the menu forever without any announcement." Since I avoid both television and Burger King, this was news to me, but I gather a bunch of TV commercials were involved. Interesting.