Burger King brings back an old icon. #TBT

Published May 6, 2014 at 7:48 pm

We’ve frequently discussed on this blog how it is the goal of many marketing campaigns to achieve viral status. But could a brand bring back an old viral campaign and make it go viral again?

A memorable advertising campaign can stay in people’s memories for a long time, and nostalgia can be a powerful way of reaching people, by using something familiar to introduce a new product or promote one that has been around for a long time.

Burger King is banking on this idea by reinstating one of its popular older campaigns, but with a new twist. The company’s Subservient Chicken ad campaign, which originally ran about ten years ago, is making a comeback. According to Adage, the original campaign was popular and received over one billion views. Burger King is using the campaign to promote its new Chicken Big King Sandwich.

The campaign is a combination of digital and social media marketing, incorporating currently popular trends, like hashtags, for “throwback Thursday” (TBT), to put a new twist on the old campaign. Using the hashtag #FindTheChicken, people can participate in the campaign by searching for the chicken across the Internet.

The campaign is also bringing back characters from the television show “Saved by the Bell,” as part of a short movie that shows what happens to celebrities after their “15 minutes of fame,” Adage reported. The video will include an appearance from a popular character from the show.

In addition to putting a new twist on a popular campaign, this marketing strategy shows how using an important company milestone can be a good driving force behind a campaign, as loyal customers will want to celebrate along with the brand. A company milestone is also a time that marketers can take advantage of to create special offers or promote new products, as Burger King is doing.