No one in this world deserves to be bulled. But the very sad reality is that, each year, 30% of students worldwide are the targets of bullying and cyberbullying.
No Bully is a non-profit organisation that looks to ignite student compassion to eradicate this, and to generate maximum awareness for its message during ‘Bullying Prevention Month’, it’s partnered with a range of big US brands to get people talking.
And a thought-provoking, emotive video produced in partnership with Burger King has done just that.
The fast food brand staged an experiential, hidden camera activation inside one of its US restaurants, giving the age-old issue of bullying a fresh and unexpected twist.
Teenage actors were placed in the midst of a busy Burger King, taunting, teasing and abusing one of their ‘classmates’ – a High School Jr – in full view of customers, even going so far as to destroy his food.
Meanwhile, behind the counter, a Burger King staff member ‘bullied’ a Whopper Jr burger, smashing it to smithereens with his bare hands. When customers opened up their burger and saw the state of it, their surprise quickly turned to outrage and they returned to the counter to express their disappointment.
Their complaints did not hit the mark though, as they were asked “did you order a bullied or unbullied burger?” and then watched on as the Burger King ‘staff’ member continued to punch their burger, right before their very eyes.
A ‘whopping’ 95% of customers reported the bulled Whopper Jr to staff, while just 12% of customers stood up to the bullying of the high school junior. A sobering statistic, but one that should make us all pause for thought and self-reflection: after all, it’s only too easy to become so caught up in our own busy lives that we don’t stop, sometimes, to do the right thing and defend those that need our help.
The compassionate, and bold, real-life responses to the bullies, coupled with recollections from other children who have overcome bullies with the help of friends, sure makes for emotional viewing. Best have your tissues at the ready before you watch.
This is the latest in a long line of great experiential stunts from Burger King. From its spooky, tongue-in-cheek Halloween ghost experience to its whopper apartment, BK is a brand that’s not afraid to take chances to surprise, delight and, at times, shock customers.