Trick or Treat!

Corporate Halloween shenanigans at Burger King and Wal-Mart. In what can be loosely described as an integrated marketing campaign Burger King is selling masks of two of its spokespeople. The chicken is from the sub man in a chicken suit site that spread virally what seems like a few years ago apparently to promote the Burger King reason d'etre of having it your way.

The bearded chap on the left is based on a character used to wake people up and offer them a non-Maccy D breakfast. BK have got a bit of static for allegedly trying to spoof a journalist with a 'viral marketing' campaign. On Slate.com Seth Stevens in his article The Burger King can't fool me outlines the full story.

It gave me a great idea on how to damage other people's campaigns - with similar handfisted attempts on their behalf.

Wal-Mart was found to have an unpleasant skeleton in its cupboard with a leaked memo specifying how they can hold down the costs of staff benefits (given that they can't outsource check-out operation to a third-world country). Of particular interest is that leaked memo does not dismiss indentured slavery or child kidnapping as options. Saying that, the only people who read about it would have the good sense to shop to already be Target shoppers anyway.