THAINESS

TitleTHAINESS
BrandBURGER KING (THAILAND)
Product / ServiceBURGER KING
CategoryA04. Crisis Communications & Issue Management
EntrantMINTERACTION Bangkok, THAILAND
Entrant Company MINTERACTION Bangkok, THAILAND
Advertising Agency MINTERACTION Bangkok, THAILAND

Credits

Name Company Position
Yossaporn Rengpian Minteraction co.,ltd. Digital Directer
Utsa Ratdilokparnij Minteraction co.,ltd. Digital Media Manager
Kanokwan Luckcom MEC Business Director
Piangjai Niruntarai MEC Supervisor, Integrated Planning
Sutida Raksincharoensak MEC Associate Director, Integrated Planning

The Campaign

To the young-Thai generation putting on Thai traditional costume outside sounds weird and silly. The problem comes to Burger King, when a of picture a mother and daughter – putting on Thai costume, eating BK fries at one of its restaurant. This picture became viral across social network over night with negative feedback – with the BK logo being attached. With the challenge of defending for its customers, BK sees this as opportunity to change the attitude of the Thai towards their beautifully created national costume. The BK Thainess campaign was created, inviting the Thai to come celebrate that Thai New Year (Songkran) at BK restaurant by wearing on Thai costume then to get free BK burger. The campaign received many positive feedback online and offline with millions Baht of free media. Other than that, it is counted as a starting point for the other brand in Thailand to encourage the Thai to wear Thai costume..which later was to be the latest fad.

The Brief

The task for the agency is how BK can defend itself from being blamed by public and to change a negative mood into a feel good one.

Results

The programme received massive positive-feedbacks over social and free media. TV programmes and bloggers started to talk about the pride of being Thai, resulted by people wearing traditional Thai clothes, go shopping, riding on the train, not just for a free burger – but became a big fad that other brands started to follow.

Execution

The BK Thainess campaign was created the next day, encouraging the Thais to re-celebrate their culture over the soon coming Thai New Year festival. The celebration is simple, anyone who visits a BK restaurant in Thai costume gets a free BK burger!

The Situation

Thailand is one of the only nations among ASEAN that lost its culture of putting on traditional costume in daily life. To the young generation wearing Thai costume sounds weird and silly. The problem comes to Burger King, when a picture of a mother and daughter – putting on Thai costume, eating BK fries at one of its restaurant. This picture became viral across social network over a night with negative feedbacks – with BK logo being attached.

The Strategy

Using the soon coming Thai New Year (Songkran Festival) to encourage the Thai to celebrate their culture by wearing Thai traditional costume and invite them into the store. The target for this campaign is mass-digital as the crisis mentioned has gone viral.