December 14, 2017, will most likely be known in the US history as the “day the internet neutrality died.” On this day, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) abolished the rules of net neutrality, which means that some online platforms are powerless in the face of Internet service providers (IPS) giants. More specifically, IPS have the right to charge websites extra if they want to deliver their content at higher speeds.
In short, if up until recently the internet neutrality principle urged IPS to treat all online data equally, the new regulation seems somewhat elitist. It means that a few extra dollars will bring you closer to the content you want to enjoy. If you are not willing to pay for your info, then you are more than welcome to join the queue and wait for the data to be delivered to your screen, slowly.
As a sworn supporter of free internet, fast food chain Burger King, alongside the David agency from Miami, gave to its clients–-who are most likely internet users—a chance to experience the downside of net neutrality repeal order. The initiative that bears the “Whopper Neutrality” name is, in fact, a social experiment that doubles up as a remarkable marketing campaign for the tasty burger.
The net neutrality concept might be a bit confusing for many people, so the fast food company decided to explain the notion by transforming one of its locations into a place that closely mirrors the internet’s upcoming fate. The restaurant was updated with a series of hidden cameras and some well-trained employees, who faithfully respected the modified net neutrality policy and served their clients accordingly. All set? Then let the games begin!
To bring the customers as close as possible to the sa(i)d scenario that will slowly change the internet as we know today, Burger King updated its menu and listed three different prices for the same sandwich, the Whopper. Within the menu, there were slow, fast, and hyperfast MBPS Whoppers at the price of $4.99, $12.99, and $25.99 respectively. Normally, the MBPS stands for “megabits per second,” but in Burger King’s context, the abbreviation stands for “making burgers per second.”
Much to the hungry clients’ frustration, some of the sandwiches were given to customers who paid the ridiculously high price for a Whopper. By adding extra money, they were treated preferentially, skipped the line, and received their sandwich in just a blink of an eye. So, the cheaper the item, the longer the wait.
And the worst was yet to come: following the principle of “you can watch, but you can’t touch” and to make the customers even angrier than they were, the staff teased them by pointing out that their burgers are actually ready. But the BK trolls didn’t stop there, as they waved the tasty Whoppers in front of the hungry and furious clients, they stated that the sandwiches can’t leave the store yet because this would be against the restaurant’s ‘policy.’
To calm the people down, one of Burger King’s employees gave just the Whopper bag to one of the customers, assuring him that the order is a few seconds away. Another client simply tries to snatch the Whooper bag from the employee’s hands, but he finds himself powerless in the face of the stubborn BK member who patiently waits for the time to pass and finally gives the bag to the client. A complete mess!
The Miami-based agency documented the experiment and packed it in a nice two-and-a-half-minute-long video. The spot teaches us a memorable lesson about the effects of FCC’s recent repeal of the net neutrality regulations.
The video asks you to keep fighting for net neutrality and invites you to contribute to a safer internet by signing the SavetheNet petition, listed on Change.org. As of now, more than two million people have pledged to fight for #NetNeutrality. “The internet should be like the Whopper: the same for everyone,” concludes the film. Join Burger King’s initiative and help the internet thrive in this world that constantly threatens its identity.