Let’s not talk about politics or religion, shall we?
I was watching Keith Olbermann the other night (so I guess I’m kind of talking about politics….), and he had a bit on a Burger King franchisee in Tennessee that had been displaying a rather provocative sign in front of their stores.
I googled around and found the original story (by Chris Davis) in the Memphis Flyer. Cutting to the chase, once the story came out, Burger King headquarters stepped in - they apparently have a clause that prohibiting franchisees from using their marquees to make a religious or political state
ment. The signs came down. But the damage - or free promotion? - was done. A lot more people have now heard of Mirabile Investment, which runs a number of BK and other fast food franchises in the South. But is it good heard of, or bad heard of?
I guess that depends on who they’re trying to appeal to, although I doubt that was part of their thinking when they put the sign up.
I’m guessing that the head guy/gal at Mirabile truly believes that “global warming is baloney”, and wanted to make this belief known.
Now, personally, I might find this belief more than a bit squirrel-y, and I fear that the more people who hold such a belief, the more likely we are to end up with Memphis on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean.
But, not so mirabile dictu, Mirabile is entitled to hold this belief.
It’s just that going marquee with a provocative statement is not my idea of a sound marketing strategy. Sure,it’s likely that most folks with a jones for a Whopper are not going to be stopped by (or even notice) such a sign. It’s also likely that the number of people who’d go “good for them,” and thus be inclined to do more business with this BK is equaled by those who’d say, “I’m not going to patronize someone nutty enough to say this.” No harm, no foul?
So, if it nets out to be neutral, what’s wrong with using your business as a platform to make pronouncements of any of your beliefs that most people would find controversial? A couple of reasons come to mind:
- It’s distracting you (and your customers) from your business. Do you really want them focusing on your thoughts on global warming, or on order large fries with that Whopper?
- It will be off-putting to some people, and you do risk that those who’ll be put off will exceed those who’ll be brought in.
I don’t suppose I’ll ever know whether this was a calculated market ploy, based on an assumption that there are more potential BK customers who’ll be brought in with this message than there are folks who’ll be turned off, or whether it’s just a case of a deeply felt belief coupled with a case of “because I can, that’s why.”
It’s probably the latter, but, in this case - given the strictures of the franchise agreement - they really couldn’t.
Given the potential to jeopardize your business - possible customers, Burger King HQ - why not just put up a billboard and get people talking that way. Sure, it would cost more, but it’s a way to get your ideas out there, and people talking. They might associate your name with your business, but it’s pretty much separation of church and state (metaphorically speaking). I’m sure we all patronize businesses where the political or religious beliefs of the owners aren’t ones that we shared. Most of the time, this turns out to be okay. As long as the platform isn’t something I find extreme, this is America.
At the extreme - and some might considered calling global warming ‘baloney’ one of them; I’m not one of them: I find it loony and wrong-headed, but not offensive - I would take my business elsewhere. I can’t, for example, imagine doing business with someone who I found out to be a member of the American Nazi Party or the KKK. It is a continuum, however. Would I step toe in a shop that displayed a sign opposing gay marriage? Hmmmm - I’d really have to think about whether I’d just pass on by, or go in and trying to engage the folks who put up the sign in a conversation about why they were so opposed. (Maybe if I told them about the couple who, among all my friends, have been together the longest. They met in high school. Nothing new there, other than that it was an all girls school…)
In general, BK is right: it’s just plain better business sense to keep politics and religion out of business.
Yet, darn it, here I’ve just gone and put it right in there myself. Kinda, sorta.
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Maureen,
Well, it certainly grabs attention. It was the message in the photo that made me read the post. And if I was a bettin’ man, I’d wager that if the sign had said “Do your part to fight global warming!” you wouldn’t have written about it.
You disagreed with what WAS posted (I do, too, by the way), and used your forum to say so, under the guise of an intellectual business discussion. I’m not criticizing; I sometimes do the same thing. And what good is an “opinionated marketer” without an opinion?
I think the most startling thing about the sign is its unusually strident nature; it can’t help but conjure up the image of an argumentive person on a bit of a rant. No politics is probably the right answer. But for the record, if it said “Cool it with the global warming talk!” or “To global warming fanatics: CHILL!” I might still disagree with it, but picture a thinking, somewhat whimsical person behind it; one from whom I wouldn’t mind buying a burger.
Mike - You’re probably right about whether I would have done a post if the sign had read ‘do your part to fight global warming’ - although I may have noted that a fast food joint, with all those transported-from-god-knows-where-frozen-patties, not to mention a drive-through window - was a good one to be squawking about doing their part…
And you’re absolutely right about the images conjured up. I do picture a cantankerous old coot behind this sign. What a surprise if it turned out to be a little old gray-haired granny wearing Birkenstocks…