Burger King briefs DLKW to improve consistency

by Mark Sweney, Marketing 11-Aug-04

Burger King has retained creative agency Delaney Lund Knox Warren & Partners on its £11m creative ad account, with a brief to achieve more brand consistency.

The review was initiated by the appointment in April of Andy Brent as chief marketing officer to evaluate the brand's positioning in the UK.

Burger King asked the pitching agencies, including Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/Y&R, Miles Calcraft Briginshaw Duffy and Ogilvy & Mather, to develop above- and below-the-line ideas for use as part of a more integrated advertising approach.

UK marketing director Paul Reynish said: 'We are a big brand with nearly 700 stores in the UK and we need a consistent approach. We have taken a long time getting the strategy right and we needed to make sure we had the right expression in our marketing.'

DLKW's 18-month-old strapline 'Got the urge' is to be reviewed. The review will also mean the lion's share of Burger King's below-the-line account will move to DLKW Dialogue.

Alex Kuropatwa, joint managing director at DLKW, said: 'It is a big populist brand and we will be developing big populist work.'

In June, Marketing revealed that Burger King was set to respond to the healthier menu items being carried by rivals such as McDonald's with the introduction of a Premium Tastes line.

Several of the products - such as oven-baked lower-fat fries, freshly squeezed orange juice and flame-grilled fresh pineapple - are designed to appeal to health-conscious consumers.

The activity is part of an initiative by Burger King to respond to criticism over the role fast-food chains have played in the obesity crisis by offering high-fat and super-sized meals on their menus.