Posted on 07/28/2005 5:46:14 PM PDT by wagglebee
Burger King has yanked some sexually suggestive material from one of its chicken-hawking websites, but denies its actions were prompted by any public outrage.
In order to promote its chicken fries, the fast-food chain created "CoqRoq.com," which features a fictitious rock band wearing chicken heads.
In the photo gallery section of its site, Polaroid-style pictures of young women appeared with captions that read, "Groupies Love the Coq" and "groupies love Coq."
"Just the name Coq Roq in general is offensive to families," Aliza Pilar Sherman, an author on women and the Internet, told Advertising Age. "I can't imagine if parents of a smaller child saw this. They'd say they don't want their child exposed to this. Where do we as responsible individuals draw the line? Of course there's freedom of speech but does that mean Burger King should be perpetuating stereotypes, negative attitudes and demeaning behavior to the market?"
Ironically, the band's lead singer is named Fowl Mouth.
Within 24 hours of the site's debut this week, the captions with the double entendres were erased.
"Nothing on the site has changed because of any reaction to the site," BK spokeswoman Edna Johnson told AdAge. "We haven't had any complaints. ... [T]he changes are typical of a new website that is being tweaked."
Johnson said malfunctions in the Flash and XML programming were responsible for putting the "Groupies love the Coq" on the photos of the young women.
"The fact that a BK corporate communicator blamed 'malfunctions in the Flash and XML programming' for the captions proves big brands are very much afraid to back up their own agencies' creative expression," writes one blogger reacting to the controversy. "Sure, 'I love coq' is a blatant, head-turning slogan, but still, have we become that PC, or simply idiotic, when a company like BK claims no prior knowledge of the captions before its launched?"
The CoqRoq campaign was produced by Miami-based Crispin Porter + Bogusky, the same agency that developed the recent Burger King television commercials featuring Darius Rucker (Hootie of Hootie and the Blowfish) singing a revamped "Have it your way" song, with lyrics such as, "There's a train of ladies coming with a nice caboose."
Burger King is not getting completely flame-broiled from those in the advertising world.
"This business of screeching 'Oh my, oh my' every time a kid under the age of 15 might be exposed to a sexual overtone is madness," writes David Kiley of BusinessWeek magazine. "The world, the schoolyard, the summer camp and the workplace is full of sexual overtones. The point is to deal with it appropriately, not seek to ban it from the media."
"The only thing harmful to women in this website is if it prompts them to order the chicken fries," he added.
You're not in advertising by any chance are you? :)
yikes. What were they thinking?
Very funny.
Actually I'm not interested in even looking at anything under 30. I make an exception for Danica Patrick. ;o)
LMAO!
Somebody at BK pulled a CLM (Career-Limiting Manoeuver).
"Johnson said malfunctions in the Flash and XML programming were responsible for putting the "Groupies love the Coq" on the photos of the young women. "
A lie. Just like the lie that Janet Jackson had a "wardrobe malfunction."
I'm series!
I think that would be an impossible task.
Yeah, okay, whatever!
Ummm....why do you think all those cameras and cars have a model number starting with 'SX'?
SX sells!
I saw a BK commercial featuring this coqroq.com stuff two days ago. My first thought was "Who at Burger King authorized this? Don't they know how this sounds?"
My next thought was either I'll never see this again or the Southern Baptists will start a BK boycott.
I kid you not. I like women, not girls. I know everyone drools over Anna K & Jessica Simpson 'round here. Give me a 40 year old Jill Goodacre or 30 something Neve Campbell!
They were probably thinking the "Girls Gone Wild" people have made fortunes off the indiscretions of slutty teenage girls.
Did you see "Wedding Crashers" yet? The girls in that were hot.
BK put up the "No Handguns" signs here the day the CHL law became effective. As much as I like Whoppers, I haven't been back in since. Too many alternatives.
Aliza has a very low "offense" threshold.
Well, they can't make or sell burgers, so they have to do something.
No. Worth it??
You lie like a rug.
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