The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has announced its choice of the Creative Marketer of the Year 2017 – it is Burger King, the global restaurant brand for its inspiring creative communications. The award will honor Burger King for its campaigns like Proud Whopper, McWhopper Proposal, #WhoIsTheKing, Whopper Freakout, Whopper Virgins, Whopper Sacrifice, King Games and Subservient Chicken.
According to Fernando Machado, head of brand marketing for Burger King, “This award is a tribute to the consistently strong creative work done by the Burger King brand over time, and we look forward to celebrating it with all of our partner agencies during the Cannes Lions festival.”
At the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Burger King has won 76 Lions which includes the 2016 Grand Prix in Print & Publishing as well as a Grand Prix in the Media category for Y&R New Zealand’s “McWhopper” campaign. “Creativity is a critical factor when it comes to helping us stand out from the pack and punch higher than our weight. This principle is applied to everything we do, from the way we differentiate ourselves by flame-grilling our burgers to the groundbreaking advertising campaigns we create,” said Burger King CMO, Axel Schwan, in a statement.
Chuck McBride, founder of creative agency, Cutwater, referring to BK’s King Games campaign, noted, “They took an advertising icon and turned him into a real character, and turned the character into a game, and the game into a real business model.” He was all praise for the agency in this case Crispin, Porter and Bogusky, who did what shops weren’t able to figure out. Summing up, Jose Papa, managing director of Cannes Lions, said, “Burger King is a brand that’s built a reputation for marketing campaigns that are bold, courageous and innovative, constantly challenging the limits of creative excellence. Burger King believes that being a brand with purpose can achieve long-term advantages and deliver strong business results. That’s why the company is making such an impact.”