True or False? Only teenage girls can fall for Edward Cullen.
Answer: FALSE.
With the upcoming release of the film’s second installment, Twilight: New Moon, major corporations are cashing in on the stars of the blockbuster hit. This is only remarkable in that even Burger King has gotten in on the deal.
An article from adweek.com addresses Burger King's experimentation with celebrity endorsement. In September, the fast food chain released a new ad campaign featuring Nascar driver Tony Stewart. In fact, later this month, the company is going to feature a live polygraph test to serve as a real testimonial to Stewart's love of the Whopper. I think this is a rather interesting dimension of celebrity endorsement. It is not enough just to feature the star, but to take risks to earn consumer trust.
Now, it turns out that Burger King is not only going after Nascar, but Twilight. Burger King will be working with Summit Entertainment to promote the film and put the young stars at the forefront of the fast food business.
Beginning November 16th, Burger King will be selling "holiday six-pack meals," which include "New Moon merchandise offers, coupons at retail outlets and collectible cards." While BK has gone so far as to provide a polygraph-based testimonial from the Nascar driver, its motives to associate its company with vampire characters may be unclear. Popularity is not the only or predominant reason for choice of celebrity endorsement. Either way, these movie stars are a very unique choice for fast food.
The new odd-couple, Burger King and Twilight, may have competition from Nordstrom. This upscale department store is another unlikely company seeking to make the most of the Twilight franchise. Starting this October, the store will launch the clothing line promoting the Twilight series.
It seems clear that these corporations are anxious to become a part of the enthralling "Team Edward or Team Jacob?" debate, but the question is why. In Burger King's Tony Stewart endorsement, BK is working tirelessly to substantiate his credibility, yet has no problem putting a vampire in a Happy Meal. Must investigate.
2 comments:
this is too funny. I understand that Edward Cullen is an attractive celeb, but he's a blood sucking vampire in the movie. How can a vampire part take in advertising for fatty food? I guess it makes sense that people devour BK as vampires obsess over their food-human blood ;X
I actually just read that BK secured product placement in the new movie, which might explain the Twilight merchandise and prizes. As you seem to agree, the link between the two still doesn't make sense, especially since the movie is rated PG-13 and prizes at BK are for geared towards a younger audience than that. I think that the unexpected match is meant to spark curiosity and will thus bring more people into the chain stores. That's my theory for now!
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