Paramore Simple. Clear. Focused on Results.

So Burger King recently launched a new online promotion (no, not this one or that one) called Whopper Sacrifice. CNET News describes it thusly:

Burger King has created “Whopper Sacrifice,” a Facebook app that will give you a coupon for a free hamburger if you delete 10 people from your friends list.

It’s a great idea that was, at first, executed brilliantly. I’m sure we all agree that there are people we have “friended” on Facebook that aren’t really our friends. Well here’s your chance to do a little house cleaning and get a free juicy burger in exchange. I guess I should say there went your chance. Just days after launching, we get the word that Facebook shut down the app because they say it violates user privacy.

How successful was it?

Over the course of 5 days, 233,906 friends were sacrificed! That’s 23,390 free Whoppers. There’s no telling how many more friends would have been sacrificed had this been able to run longer.

In a related viral marketing + fast food burger promotion gone wrong, Carl’s Jr. bit off more than they could chew when the secret link to a coupon for a free Famous Star burger was hijacked and posted in several bargain hunter forums. The coupon spread much faster than Carl’s Jr. had anticipated, and they pulled the plug on the promotion. As quoted in a Wired.com article, a Carl’s Jr. spokeswoman said this:

“We’re wanting things to go viral, just not free offers,” said Beth Mansfield. She said that was the first, and likely the last, time the chain would give out free burgers that way.

Allegedly, only 50 of the free burger coupons were redeemed before Carl’s Jr. caught on.

So what have we learned? When you want something to go viral, be ready to cope with the effects if it actually does go viral.

3 comments

Hannah Paramore I think it's great that Facebook stepped up and policed this because it says they care. But I wonder if it was really a violation of user privacy? Tue, Jan 20, 2009 9:36pm

Brad Haynes Trying new ideas out for viral marketing is a great thing. Seeing large players like Burger King try risky campaigns is also encouraging. Of course, I would never recommend this idea for any of our clients! Mon, Jan 26, 2009 12:58pm

Shaun I remember that Carl's Jr. coupon; I actually used it. I doubt I was one of only 50 though; I know that at least 3 of my friends used it too. Thu, Jan 29, 2009 2:46pm