The ugly, the grotesque, and the absurd, in other words, the abnormal, can give birth to something beautiful. And it’s not just us saying this. For this statement, we have taken inspiration from two famous poets, Charles Baudelaire and Tudor Arghezi, who frequently used the “aesthetics of ugliness” theme in their poetry. “Flowers of Evil” or “Flowers of Mold” are just a few examples of how the two of them used the ugly to generate beauty.

This concept gave Burger King the brilliant idea to start writing its own poem. A more visual one. Helped by Publicis Romania and Spain, DAVID Miami, and INGO, the brand successfully showed the audience how beautiful mold can be. This is something that would make even the two poets proud. World, meet the “Moldy Whopper,” the campaign that illustrates the concept of rottenness and how beautiful this can actually be.

The campaign’s centerpiece is a Whopper covered in mold. But before you throw up, listen to what the brand has to say about its rotten product. BK decided that it is now time to set aside the image of a perfect burger and, instead, to feature a moldy one, only to highlight the fact that the brand has given up on preservatives.

Watching mold grow on your food might be frustrating, but you have to look at the bright side of the story. The beautiful one: Having mildew on your burger actually means that your meal contains no preservatives, no colors, and no artificial flavors. It is nothing but healthy.

“The Burger King brand is currently rolling out the Whopper sandwich with no preservatives, colors, or flavors from artificial sources in the U.S. The product is already available in more than 400 restaurants in the country and will reach all restaurants throughout the year,” explained Christopher Finazzo, President Americas, Burger King Corporation.

You can see the mold slowly embracing BK’s freshly sliced onions, tomatoes, and lettuce, and the 100% beef patty, in a 45-second-long video. Over the span of 34 days, the flowers of mold are dancing on Dinah Washington’s 1959 “What a Difference A Day Makes” hit, only to finally cover the entire burger. “The beauty of no artificial preservatives,” the ad’s tagline reads. Baudelaire and Arghezi couldn’t agree more.

“At Burger King restaurants, we believe that real food tastes better. That’s why we are working hard to remove preservatives, colors, and flavors from artificial sources from the food we serve in all countries around the world,” said Fernando Machado, Restaurant Brands International Global Chief Marketing Officer.

If the two poets had the required technology in their days, this is how they probably have imagined flowers of mold. But words were all they had at their disposal. Luckily, BK lives in a world where technology allows almost anything to happen. And thanks to it, the brand succeeded to bring Baudelaire and Arghezi’s dreams to life. Now, we can all see the beauty of the mold.

Credits:

Client: Burger King

Agency: Publicis Romania, Publicis Spain, DAVID Miami, and INGO