Burger King surprises with sizzling anniversary ad campaign

Burger King turns 70 this year, and it's celebrating with an ad campaign that, for once, isn't all about McDonald's. The digital and outdoor ads highlight how Burger King has stuck to its process for preparing burgers over the years, with passionate results.

The sizzling campaign is about how the fire remains after seven decades, as illustrated by a series of septuagenarian models getting intimate in and around Burger King restaurants. Nope, there's nothing like a flame-grilled burger to keep the spark of romance alive.

The campaign, designed by Argentina-based Room 23 for Burger King Brazil, includes images and video of couples of a certain age expressing their passion in public, from a parking lot snog to a cheeky pinch on the way in to Burger King. The aim is to show that after 70 years, the fire’s still burning: "Flame-grilled since 1954," reads the tagline.

The campaign includes online videos, POS, outdoor and press overseen by creative directors: Sebastian Wilhelm and Maxi Anselmo. On the brand's Instagram, some are saying it's the best advertising they've seen from Burger King in years. We did like the mouldy Whopper and plant-based Whopper campaigns, but this is certainly better than most of the brand's McDonald's-trolling pieces.

The photography from Guy Aroch feels authentic, and the campaign actually says something about Burger King, highlighting that it hasn't changed its tradition in terms of how it prepares its burgers. It's certainly not the first time we've seen older people kissing in an ad campaign, but it's perhaps surprising for a fastfood brand normally so focused on youth culture and younger markets.