Burger King plans Super Bowl ads, contest

It’s been 11 years since Burger King Corp. last advertised during the Super Bowl broadcast. But the fast-food chain said it will air a 60-second spot during this year’s game.

The Miami-based company said Miami-based ad agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky created the commercial that returns it to Super Bowl advertising. The spot is scheduled to air in the second pod of ads, immediately following kickoff.

Super Bowl XL is scheduled to take place in Detroit, Feb. 5. The broadcaster is ABC.

Burger King also has partnered with the National Football League all this season. But the chain pointed out the Super Bowl is often the nation’s highest-rated TV program. Last year, Burger King said more than 133 million viewers in the United States tuned into the game. This year, the chain put the game’s potential worldwide audience at 1 billion people in more than 225 countries and territories.

Burger King did not give a precise description of its Super Bowl ad, but did detail an accompanying contest. Among other ads Crispin Porter + Bogusky has created for Burger King, an online game known as Subservient Chicken was also interactive.

The contest is to start this morning, with Burger King restaurants across the country giving customers a chance to go to the Super Bowl in the “Text To Score” sweepstakes.

During the three-week sweepstakes, scheduled to end Jan. 30, Burger King said its guests will be able to text a 10-digit unique entry code found on NFL-themed Burger King Chicken Fries packaging. Prizes include 20 trips for two to this year’s Super Bowl.

As part of the contest, Burger King has added a 36-piece Chicken Fries Party Pack. The new product is to have four “Text to Score” sweepstakes entry codes, while the company’s established, six-piece and nine-piece Chicken Fries containers are to have one sweepstakes entry code each.

Other sweepstakes prizes include five trips for two to this year’s Pro Bowl game in Hawaii, Feb. 12; two 2006 Hummer H3 vehicles; 10 Samsung plasma 40-inch-wide LCD TVs, 400 Visa gift cards worth $40 each; 200 EA Sports Madden NFL 06 Xbox 360 video games; and 200 “Super Bowl Moments” DVDs from Warner Home Video.

Also starting this morning, Burger King said it will air a new series of NFL-themed television ads. The commercials are to featuring company spokesman the King going head-to-helmet with the pros.

via bizjournals.com