Burger King's birth ad sparks debate online after being called 'cynical and disgusting'

Burger King has birthed a string of divisive ads creating a storm online with some adoring it, some not as keen and others taking it as an opportunity to put their mansplaining skills to the test.

The famous fast-food joint shared the new 'Bundles of Joy' campaign last week, featuring real images and recordings of mothers enjoying a Whopper post-birth. The images also included the time of arrival.

The campaign launched on September 26th – the day most babies are born in the UK.

While it was intended to have a poignant sentiment, strategist Will Poskett slammed it as an ad that "promotes cancer and obesity-causing ultra-processed foods (UPF) next to the birth of a newborn baby."

He suggested on LinkedIn that while the insight "might be 'true,'" the promotion of UPFs is "cynical and disgusting".

Burger King

Others, who have gone through labour themselves, saw it as a celebration of the milestone.

Marketing director Sophie Parfitt argued it was "attention-grabbing, a true insight and well executed."

"I'm going to stick my neck out and say that you don’t get an opinion on this unless you’ve been through 10 months of feeling sick, food tasting weird, relentless heartburn, and finally hours (even days) of labour in the craziest pain of your life (and no, getting kicked in the b*lls is not the same)," she hit back.

"That first meal after giving birth is THE BEST feeling. I even remember the midwife letting us know that Deliveroo to the hospital was not only allowed but encouraged."

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

A strategist, who works in maternal care, responded to Will's post, writing: "You’re judging one moment of freedom after this 9 months journey and reading way too much into this one moment."

Meanwhile, a board member at OMD UK acknowledged the dividing opinion while highlighting that young mums agree that it "resonates well."

"The consensus: 'I've been good for the last 9 months, and have gone through unmentionable pain to bring this precious being into the world. Just let me eat what I f***ing want.'"

Katie Evans, Burger King CMO, said: "At Burger King UK, we know a thing or two about the blissful state of ultimate food satisfaction. But as it turns out, so do mums. So after the success of our ‘Foodfillment’ strategy, we’re delighted to be bringing it to an audience which truly deserves it."

Felipe Serradourada Guimaraes, deputy executive creative director at BBH, added: "I knew we had something special when we came across the images of real mums treating themselves to Burger King UK after birth. It’s a perfect encapsulation of Foodfillment."

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