Here’s a big opportunity for an agency with more optimism than sense – Burger King is hunting a global ad agency.
Burger King has had more agency reshuffles than it has items on its menu recently. The private-equity owned perennial number two to McDonald’s has gone this way and that since splitting with Crispin Porter+Bogusky in the US, a move which, whatever you think about CP+B’s bizarre ‘The King’ campaign, hardly seems to have led to anything better.
Recently it’s been using Mother in the US (which has not been on top form on the account, but there may be a reason for that) and also appointed CHI & Partners to handle its supposed £9m account in the UK.
But CHI seems happy to wave bye-bye even though it could, presumably, pitch for the global business with the aid of WPP, its 49 per cent shareholder. CEO Sarah Golding told Campaign: “We wish Burger King well as they make more global marketing arrangements.” Which sounds suspiciously like ‘good riddance.’
WPP may still pitch of course, with one of its agencies or yet another Team WPP. The McDonald’s account is mostly shared between Omnicom’s DDB (the US) and Publicis Groupe’s Leo Burnett, likely to be part of the same company if Omnicom and Publicis ever persuade the Chinese to approve their merger. McDonald’s recently displayed its displeasure at the performance of its agencies in the US but it still looks a better bet than Burger King.
