All of the spots in the campaign highlight BK® Kids Meals, which meet the nutritional guidelines of the Council of Better Business Bureaus’ Food & Advertising Initiative (CBBB). In “Food Play,” BK® Kids Meal menu items come to life, as kids watch BK® Fresh Apple Fries and low fat caramel sauce swing from buildings and BK BURGER SHOTS® (adding sticker decals to their fingernails just like the Spider-Man and Polly Pocket toys that come with BK® Kids Meals. The campaign gets kids equally excited about the toys and the great tasting food by sending food characters on adventures directly related to the toy property. The idea was developed from the key insight that food presents an opportunity for fun play for kids of all ages.
“We were challenged to create an effective way to reach kids that would stand out in the crowded world of kids advertising. We knew that we wanted to take a fun, relatable approach because of our key insight that associates mealtime with playtime. Advertising through animation became an obvious choice because, these days, with advanced levels of style and the quick response time animation provides, it seemed like a no-brainer,” says Ben Fruehauf, VP, creative director with Campbell Mithun.
To develop the character style, Campbell Mithun enlisted the help of MAKE, a Minneapolis-based animation company who provided a fun, differentiated and offbeat style that Burger King Corp. and Campbell Mithun were looking for. “Kids and adults alike sparked to the style, which stands out amongst the high volume of animated content kids see every day, while allowing us to express the emotion and humor kids love,” says Kjersti Hanneman, account planner with Campbell Mithun. “It seems like the campaign is going to be a big hit and we are all looking forward to continued success moving forward with BURGER KING®.
Campbell Mithun has served as Burger King Corp.’s “Kids Agency of Record” for more than nine years.
The first two BK® Kids Meal spots of the "Food Play" campaign feature Spider-Man and Polly Pocket. Spots begin airing nationally on Feb. 1, 2010. Advertisements will run on the Disney XD as well as Nickelodeon Networks and Cartoon Network.