Piers Morgan fronts UK launch of Burger King's Flame fragrance

by Jennifer Whitehead, Brand Republic 15-Jun-09, 08:40

LONDON - Burger King is launching its men's fragrance Flame in the UK with a campaign starring 'Britain's Got Talent' judge Piers Morgan, posing bare-chested on a cowskin rug.

Burger King boasts that Flame is the first fragrance to contain a hit of "flame-grilled beef".

The website promoting the perfume, firemeetsdesire.com, features former Daily Mirror editor Morgan -- or possibly a body double -- reclining naked except for a Burger King medallion and a strategically draped cloth.

Morgan periodically winks and the website plays a seductive saxophone track.

The company claims that the scent of meat is also the smell of seduction and has even roped in relationship expert Tracey Cox to support the launch with the advice that "anything that makes a guy smell more masculine could evoke a primitive Me-Tarzan, You-Jane type reaction from women".

The fragrance launches today at Selfridges and is being sold for £4.99 in the UK, compared with the $3.99 price tag for its US launch.

Flame is available online or through Red5, the high street gadget retailer.

It is made by Demeter, the company known for its range of fragrances mimicking everyday smells such as Laundromat, Dirt and Funeral Home.

It has also made fragrances based on other brands including the confectioners Hershey's and Jelly Belly.

Sarah Power, marketing director for Burger King UK & Ireland, said: "Customers love the taste of our world-famous flame-grilled beef, so we've bottled a hint of it to help people enjoy its unique power as a scent of seduction.

"In the current doom and gloom, Flame is the perfect gift for another or yourself to make you feel totally irresistible, bringing back a bit of feel good factor again."

Piers Morgan become a celebrity in his own right after being sacked as editor of the Daily Mirror in 2004 over faked Iraq War pictures.

He has published a successful memoir and gone onto forge a successful TV career as a judge on 'Britain's Got Talent' and 'America's Got Talent' and, in another beef-related marketing campaign, provided a voiceover for Marks & Spencer's food advertising.

Read the Celebrity Sellout blog on Piers Morgan.

Burger King launches Flame with a campaign starring Piers Morgan

Comments

Nicola Lucas - 15/06/2009

I though april fools day was April 1st?

FP - 15/06/2009

Good to see more of Piers in the flesh. Normally we can only see his feet as he's so far up Simon Cowell's arse.

RICHARD MATHEWSON - 15/06/2009

Will Youngs be doing a scent for women?

Calum Geraghty - 15/06/2009

Two wrongs don't make a right!

James Walters - 15/06/2009

I don't know about you, but this makes me want to get straight down to Burger King and snap up a Whopper.

Lucy warren-meeks - 15/06/2009

please tell me this isn't true... I watched the ad and was a little bit sick in my mouth... If any bloke came near me stinking of burgers I'd think they were working down the local takeaway which is not a good chat-up starting point...

Dirk Singer - 15/06/2009

thanks for the article and comments, in case anyone wants more Piers the video is here: http://vimeo.com/5127161

Andy Peel - 15/06/2009

This will sell like hot cakes for Father's day. As a joke present the market is perfect and as much as it's probably the last smell you would want, surely everyone wants a sniff of that flame grilled goodness?

Ryan Henderson - 15/06/2009

This is either a bloody clever idea or an example of just how low some brands are willing to go for some publicity. As an aside, Funeral Home smell?! What does a funeral home smell like???!

Lucy warren-meeks - 16/06/2009

having said that I have actually now bought a bottle as a joke present, and also twittered/facebooked/emailed the link to so many friends because anything mixing a naked Piers Morgan with a Barry White style voice-over and a burger-scented aftershave is funny as heck... good viral campaign...

FP - 16/06/2009

'For father's day, why not mock him by asking him to wear a scent of beef jerk promoted by the biggest jerk on TV ... ' Surely Sarah Power is in the pay of the golden arches people.