A Seattle graffiti artist made some waves recently with his additions to a Burger King billboard.
The downtown billboard was advertising Burger King dessert menu items. The campaign was taking a light hearted view on consuming sugary treats by labeling the ice cream cone as “side,” the parfait as “entree,” and the milkshake as “drink.” The graffiti markings came in and turned the Burger King logo into a rotund person with a sad face and x-ed out eyes and labeled it “diabetes.”
Doubtfully was the Burger King company happy with the additions made to their sign, but the ad definitely got noticed. The artist’s markings were widely spread across social media and many cheered the blatant criticism of how fast food is clearly a contributor to the diabetes and obesity crisis in America.
Of course the same arguments can be raised time and time again: “No one is forced to buy their food” and “They paid for the ad, they can display what they want.” These are true statements, but perhaps this type of advertising is just not going to fly with the public anymore.
The ad was a cute poke at how to structure a meal, but when many kids are living off this type of junk and also having to get meds everyday to function, it’s not cute, it’s devastating. When the average elementary student is more likely to resemble the bloated Burger King graffiti character, it seems fair to expect more responsibility from restaurants and their advertising.
While I never condone breaking the law, I think I could let this “vandalizer” slide, just this once.
Via: The Consumerist