Burger King "SimpsonizeMe.com" Campaign

The adult team at Equity Marketing ideated, developed and executed Simpsonizeme.com as the central component of Burger King's global summer 2007 campaign: "Eat. Drink. Be Yellow." Designed as a viral online mechanic that closely links the Burger King brand to The Simpsons Movie entertainment experience, the promotional site allows consumers to become a part of the Simpsons world by simply uploading a photo of themselves to the site and several moments later, be presented with what they would look like if they were a Simpsons character in Springfield.

Results:

The campaign was very successful. In the first two and a half weeks, the campaign garnered 31.6 MM PR impressions and 2,400 blogs that lead to the Simpsonizeme.com URL. It has 48MM impressions to date. Online traffic to the site was so overwhelming that at times site visitors needed to be re-routed.

Online results July 16th through August 26th:
Unique visitors: 15.5MM
Visits: 18.5MM
Page views: 75.4MM
Files served (hits): 633.7MM
Photo uploads: 31.7MM

Selected media highlights: 

A segment on ABC's Nightline highlighted BKC's edgy marketing efforts and positioned BK and The Simpsons Movie as a "match made in marketing heaven."

• USA Today mentioned Simpsonizeme.com in an article about promotional programming for The Simpsons Movie.
   
• David Reutimann showed off the new Simpsonized paint scheme of the No. 00 Burger King car during an interview with the SPEED Channel.
   
• The Hollywood Reporter highlighted Simpsonizeme.com as part of BK’s ad/marketing success, included quote from Brian Gies.
   
• FOX National's Mike and Juliet Show hosted the Simpsons photo kiosk and showed Simpsonized photos of the hosts.
   
• E! Entertainment Television featured Simpsonizeme.com on The Daily Ten showing the Simpsonized photos of the hosts. Simpsonizeme.com got a glowing review from the writers at Stuff.com. Best Damn Sports Show Period displayed a picture of the five hosts Simpsonized following a clip from the movie premiere.
   
• Simpsonization World Domination spot was the #1 most liked by consumers for the month of July on IAG.

Challenge:

The overall objective was to extend BK's global brand reach and to drive traffic to BK counters in countries around the world during the crucial summer months. The execution had to be in the never-been-done-before category and had to deliver BK's Have It Your Way Technology "magic" to a very broad range of consumers and Simpsons fans.

Insights:  

• Consumers really appreciate a participative, personalized entertainment experience.
   
• Viral online campaigns burn like a wildfire across the continents within days if the concept works with consumers. Brands can capture this tidal wave of emotion and engagement to build their brands and drive their sales.
   
• Push the envelope on technical solutions that deliver the magic to consumers. If you can make it work, the resulting buzz is absolutely phenomenal.

Explanation of program:  

• On July 16th, 2007, Burger King launched Simpsonizeme.com, an interactive website that converts digital photos of consumers into personalized Simpsonized versions of themselves. More than 40 countries participated and the site was available in 5 languages. After uploading a photo and going yellow, website guests can personalize their look by choosing from hundreds of hairstyles, body types, outfits and accessories –– from Marge’s wacky blue hair and Homer's five o'clock shadow to Lisa's pearl necklace. When finished, visitors can create screensavers and wallpaper designs with their new look and even email it to a friend. 
   
• Simpsonizeme.com also features THE SIMPSONS MOVIE trailers, a Burger King restaurant locator, ads and an online store where visitors can apply their Simpsonized photos to t-shirts, mugs, hats, aprons and photo sculptures. 
   
• A large-scale marketing campaign supported the release of the movie at Burger King restaurants and included a series of TV spots featuring a mix of live action and animation, in-restaurant merchandising, custom packaging and presence at consumer events. In one spot, the world is literally going yellow as Simpsons aliens Kang and Kodos Simpsonize everything in their path and then report back to a Simpsonized King. In another, Homer can't keep his hands or his mouth away from the Ultimate DOUBLE WHOPPER.
   
• As an additional program extension, on July 29th, the No.00 BK Toyota NASCAR hit the track debuting a SimpsonizeMe.com paint scheme at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (for the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard.) BK restaurants also had Simpsons-themed bags that featured coupons for a two-week free trial of BLOCKBUSTER Total Access™ that came with a $5 BK Crown Card after sign-up and a free BLOCKBUSTER Favorites movie rental.