So, did it work? Here’s where things get controversial. Although you might think no one would ever want to eat a Whopper after seeing it rot, some marketing experts believe it was brilliant. Huib van Bockel, former Red Bull and Unilever food marketing executive said this in an email to CNBC, “I love it. It’s about time. It’s so important to be open and honest. Of course, food perishes (and) what is controversial about that?” The reaction to the ad was mixed. However, the statistics aren’t as badly received as you would think. 88% of the audience reaction was either positive (19%) or neutral (69%). When showing the difference between a Whopper molding over 34 days and a McDonald’s burger looking the same after 10 years, you almost prefer the Moldy Burger. Burger King is known to have some crazy advertising campaigns from offering free Whoppers to creepy clowns during Halloween of 2017 (sorry to all of you coulrophobes), to asking the phrase “Okay Google, what is the Whopper burger?” in a TV ad, triggering your Google Home to respond with Wikipedia’s entry for the Whopper. Brilliantly devious. This ad wasn’t intended to drive sales, instead its goal was to create a buzz, capture the attention of viewers and communicate their efforts in creating a Whopper free from artificial preservatives and flavors. They achieved this all in the best way they knew, the Burger King way.