The Burger King brand debuted a new Super Bowl commercial that featured a nearly silent film of the iconic Pop Artist Andy Warhol eating a Whopper sandwich. The film shows the famed artist sitting at a desk, opening a vintage Burger King brand bag, taking out a Whopper sandwich and eating it.
It’s the first Super Bowl commercial 37 years in the making. The original 4-minute clip was created by Swedish director Jorgen Leth in 1982 as a part of the film “66 Scenes from America”. The film was a visual narrative of iconic scenes that represent American reality. Naturally, America’s most iconic artist was portrayed feasting on America’s Favorite Burger.
The spot was meant to break through the traditional Super Bowl commercial break, filled with explosions, slapstick jokes and celebrities, with an almost silent, yet powerful work of art. Beyond the simplicity of the spot, it has a deeper meaning. It is also a testament to one of Warhol’s most iconic quotes about the greatness of the United States: “What’s great about this country is that America started the tradition where the richest consumers buy essentially the same things as the poorest.”
“What we love about Andy is what he represents as an art icon and his message about the democratization of art,” says Marcelo Pascoa, Head of Global Marketing for the Burger King brand. “Just like his art, America’s Favorite Burger, the Whopper is for everyone. Our commercial is an invitation for everyone in America to Eat Like Andy.”
A week before the commercial debuted, the brand released a teaser on YouTube.com/BurgerKing that encouraged fans to order a Mystery Box available exclusively on DoorDash. The limited-edition Mystery Box contained a vintage Burger King brand paper bag, a white wig resembling Warhol’s iconic haircut, a ketchup bottle and a DoorDash coupon for a free Whopper sandwich from participating Burger King restaurants. The Mystery Boxes were delivered via DoorDash nationwide the weekend of the Big Game to enable fans to reenact the iconic video. DoorDash also offered $0 Delivery Fees when customers ordered Burger King January 24 through the day after the Big Game.
