3 lessons in startup PR from Burger King’s ‘Bundles of Joy’ campaign

It was 10.54 pm on 9 November, 2021. But at the time, I had no idea what day it was, let alone the time of the day or night, or how long I had been there.

I had just given birth to my baby boy. But beneath the sheer joy and physical exhaustion, there was deep and clawing hunger.

I was starving, and very much looking forward to sushi platter or two. But it was 10.54 pm. So I had to settle for a good ol’ Maccas.

Sound familiar? As I write this article, the Burger King ‘Bundle of Joy’ campaign, featuring supposedly real images of women devouring whoppers in their first postpartum meal, is unavoidable.

Unsurprisingly, the ads have sparked some controversy.

Ads by Grubhub and Burger King

There are those judging the things new mums choose to put in their bodies, which tops the list of things-not-to-ever-say-to-a-women-who-just-had-a-baby.

There is the deeper question of the ethics of using this very private and vulnerable human moment in a branding and advertising exercise; opening the door for intrusive comments and tainting the sanctity of postpartum.

But there are others debating the merit of the ads itself, comparing them to Grubhub’s similar campaign which ran in the United States back in August.

However you feel about it all, there are some lessons here startup founders can take on board and apply.

To me it’s a whooper-ing victory. You might agree to disagree, and that’s fine. If you’ve missed the debate entirely, here’s a well-detailed summary.

Burger King’s ads seem to appeal more to people who have given birth, or been in the delivery suite, who applaud the realistic and relatable look and feel.

The Grubhub campaign seemed to appeal to everyone else, including health advocates, by posting the birth-plan equivalent (iykyk), or the picture-parfait version of the first postpartum meal.

Picture perfect ads are pretty and inspirational. But the most memorable ads depict real, relatable life. And they work better.

This is advertising. So what does it have to do with PR?

Relatable is the new inspirational

First, advertising is a critical source of media coverage, and therefore public attention.

Choosing ‘relatable’ over ‘picture-perfect’ is something always worth considering across and throughout all of your comms and marketing — and, honestly, throughout your whole company.

No one wants to hear about a sunny worry-free ride to success. Like, good on you, but luck is hard to replicate.

That’s why people love underdogs; Cinderella stories; standouts.

We crave to hear (and relate with) the failure, the tears, the burnout and how you clung to resilience and made it.

Closer to home, fitness startup Kic is an outstanding example of how relating to your audience outperforms trying to ‘inspire’ them.

According to Kic’s queen of PR and comms, Nicole Maycroft, Kic’s team felt a bit ‘mid’ while brainstorming their campaign. Was it just them? Or was this mid-year feeling extra mid?

As it turned out, 85% of Kic’s 7,000+ community were feeling a bit mid too.

So they focused their campaign around exactly that. And it resonated, securing the startup features in Marie Claire, Australian Women’s Health, Body+Soul, Mumbrella, Today Extra and Two Broke Chicks.

Earned media for Kic

If your target audience is everybody, you’ll convince nobody

But what of the gym and pilates lover who never feels too ‘meh’ for the gym?

Or, as in the case of the Burger King ads, what of the people grossed out by unfiltered, exhausted mums (or grossed out by burgers and processed food)?

Frankly, these campaigns are not for them. The lesson here for founders is that you shouldn’t try to please everybody. In fact, you shouldn’t even try to speak to everybody.

Kic’s campaign is not for gym bros. Burger King’s campaign is not for those who despise processed food.

As long as it’s not objectively offensive, it doesn’t matter if your ad doesn’t resonate with people outside of your target audience.

In fact, negative reactions only bring further attention, and a sense of community among the actual target audience — the people who ‘get’ you.

As PRtech and comms founder, I review and advise on a lot of first websites. The most common mistake I see is the lack of appeal to a specific and well-defined target audience.

To paraphrase, Peter Theil in Zero to One, niche the F down.

“A valuable business must start by finding a niche and dominating a small market. […] It was much easier to reach a few thousand people who really needed our product than to try to compete for the attention of millions.”

You know your ‘why’; but do you know ‘who’?

Thanks to Simon Sinek, startups often have their ‘why’ nailed down in a purpose-led mission. But their ‘who’ is equally (if not more) important.

The first step towards talking to your audience is getting to know them. Like, really getting to know them.

Targeting CMOs of ASX-listed companies, or women living in urban areas won’t cut it. You have to dig deeper and understand your target audience ‘insights out’.

It doesn’t have to be complicated. In essence, the Kic team simply asked their community how they were feeling. Burger King and Grubhub asked new mothers what meal they were craving for their post-delivery meals.

All you have to do is ask often, and listen before you speak.

Next time you review your landing page, launch a campaign or pitch to a journalist, ask yourself:

Who am I in business for? And am I speaking to that audience and that audience only?
Have I nailed my ‘so what’? Is the message unequivocally clear to them?
If you’re pitching a journalist: are they the most relevant journalist for reaching that very specific audience?

We know great startups are customer-obsessed. It’s time to apply the same obsession to comms and marketing too.