Sorry Gordon, Burger King Boldly Sidelines Celebrity Endorsements

​Burger King UK has flipped the script on celebrity endorsements with a new campaign, ‘Not Made By Gordon’. Born out of a desire to highlight Burger King’s quality credentials, the campaign playfully showcases the chef's humorous (and ultimately failed) attempts to get involved with Burger King's creation. Forget your typical chef-approved partnership; this campaign is all about Gordon being consistently kept out of the kitchen. It's a bold move that sends a clear message: the burger is so good, it tastes like it could have been made by a world-class chef.

The integrated campaign, produced by BBH’s in-house production company Black Sheep Studios, features films directed by Artur Wolgers and out-of-home photography by Mark Peckmezian, which follow Gordon on his comical quest for inclusion. While the films show Gordon's mission to make the burger, the OOH executions hero the burger itself, with a longing Gordon just out of frame — a tantalizing tease of what could have been.

​Felipe Serradourada Guimaraes said, “When you're so confident in your product, you hire a celeb chef just to tell the world they had nothing to do with it. That's pure Burger King.”

​Katie Evans, CMO of Burger King UK, added, “We’re celebrating the launch of our most gourmet burger yet, The Wagyu. So good you’d think a certain world-renowned chef had made it, but he didn’t. Sorry Gordon.”

Walk in Media handled media buying; the campaign will run across TV, print, out-of-home, and radio.