Burger KingWhat is in a name? That which we call a burger by any other name would taste as delicious.
Burger King understand the importance of names – and great PR.
So much so, the self-titled Kings of the Whopper have just offered free burgers to all their loyal subjects, on one condition.
The fast food chain are ready to change the old adage, ‘There’s no such thing as a free lunch’, all in the name of bullying prevention.
Burger King Argentina are now offering free flame-grilled Whoppers for life to all their customers who have the supposed misfortune to be called Parrilla.
The Spanish word parrilla means a cooking grill or barbecue of the type commonly found in South American countries, like Argentina.
Anecdotal evidence suggests people called Parilla have suffered years of meat-based berating from their peers. The word is also associated with an archaic form of torture used in Argentina during the dirty war in the 1970s and 1980s and in Chile during Pinochet’s regime.
Taunts such as “This wiener is for your Grill” and “Take care of my meat” have since haunted Parrillas nationwide, apparently.
Imagine being called Weiner. That’s the sort of phallic comedic styling we’re talking about here; funny for the first few quips. Exasperating henceforth. Easily cured, apparently, with free burgers on demand for life.
Burger King ArgentinaSo, in solidarity with Parrillas – and presumably their famous flame grills – Burger King are beginning a campaign to shun the stigmas of the name with the offer of free food.
Burger King Argentina’s marketing director, Lucina Cabrejas told AdWeek, “We are proud to belong to the Parrilla family for more than 60 years and the best way to put it is by recognising for life those who bear that surname.”
You can watch the ad campaign with English subtitles courtesy of AdWeek.
While it’s all very tongue-in-cheek, it does throw up a slight Pepsi vibe.
Still, you should never look a gift burger in the mouth. Rather, I’d gobble it down happily.
A former emo kid who talks too much about 8Chan meme culture, the Kardashian Klan, and how her smartphone is probably killing her. Francesca is a Cardiff University Journalism Masters grad who has done words for BBC, ELLE, The Debrief, DAZED, an art magazine you’ve never heard of and a feminist zine which never went to print.