Whopper Freakout Commercial – The Power Of Testimonials Or Something More?

There’s been lots of Web chatter about the viral power of the latest Web video from Burger King. It’s called Whopper Freakout Commercial. It’s on YouTube and you can view it here:

When I first watched the Whopper Freakout Commercial, the candid approach and quirky style was understated against what I thought was the true power of this Web video: the power of testimonials. If you ever read anything by Jeffrey Gitomer (the author of The Sales Bible and many other easy-to-read books on the power of selling), you would know that he considers testimonials one of the best tools a salesperson can use to close a deal. We’ve seen the power of testimonials grow through word of mouth marketing and strengthen even more when introduced to the power of the Web, and the masses of people that can (and do) take a product/service and make it spread.

The heart-felt testimonials in this video were not what inspired me to Blog about Whopper Freakout Commercial.

This video also demonstrates raw passion. One person talks about how when they were younger, their family would drive pretty far because there was not a Burger King where they lived. Oddly enough, this took me back. Growing up we didn’t have Burger King in Montreal, so when we would go day-shopping to the United States, one of the biggest treats was being able to eat at Burger King. I had not thought about that in decades (in fact, I can’t even remember the last time I had a burger at any fast food joint). That person’s testimonial took me back. Fond memories. Good times. I could taste the flame-broiled Whopper, smell the fries, and even hear the soda fountain filling up a cup of Coke. That is what you want a brand to do to you.

The memories that took me back to my youth is not what inspired me to Blog about Whopper Freakout Commercial.

When I was visiting Singapore to speak this past year, I was at the same event as John Kerr, Asia Pacific Director, New Media of Edelman (the largest independently-owned Public Relations firm). During his presentation he told the group that, "the shaky cam has become the most trusted news sources." Meaning, video production like the one you can witness with Whopper Freakout Commercial, is much more trusted to the general public than a slick and well-produced piece. It needs to "feel" authentic. Which this one does.

The authenticity of this clip is not what inspired me to Blog about Whopper Freakout Commercial.

Seven minutes and thirty five seconds. That’s how long Whopper Freakout Commercial is. 7:35. The YouTube one I viewed was approaching close to 90,000 views with a rating of 4/5 and close to five hundred comments. I just spent close to eight minutes watching a Burger King commercial (not including the ten minutes-plus  it took me to write this Blog posting). That’s a serious time commitment. That’s serious time spent.

Time spent.

That’s the new currency of the Social Media space and the new metric we need to understand and learn from. Spending 7:35 with Burger King (something I would never normally do) is what inspired me to Blog about Whopper Freakout Commercial.

It also really did get me thinking about have a Whopper at some point in the near-future. If that’s not powerful, I don’t know what is.