Everyone's a Simpson

“You mean those leagues where parents push their kids into vicious competition to compensate for their own failed dreams of glory?”
— Lisa Simpson

The precocious cartoon preteen may usually eschew such organized contests that bestow superiority on the less fortunate. But here's an outcome that would lead even the usually humble Lisa to scream “COWABUNGA” with her irrepressible brother Bart.

Burger King's “Simpsonize Me” campaign nabbed the Best In Show and Best Promotional Web Site in Promo magazine's third annual Interactive Marketing Awards. Campaign architect Equity Marketing has worked with BK for 23 years, and four times before has created various tie-in programs to tap into the zeitgeist surrounding the colorful and funny-shaped characters. “We were tapping into 17 years of ‘The Simpsons’ being around,” notes Linda Price, Equity's vice president of adult marketing.

A fresh spin on Springfield beyond in-store signage, placemats, drinks and action figures for the kiddies was definitely in order.

“We had to do something that was never done before,” explains Jurgen Dold, Equity's vice president of marketing. Equity decided that for the first time the effort would appeal to both adults and kids — just like “The Simpsons” itself.

Instead of the half-hour sitcom, this time they were helping to promote a full-length movie — one of the summer's most eagerly awaited.

Price recalls that the agency began pitching ideas to the client in June 2006. It came up with a simple idea that would appeal to any fan of the show and also play into BK's “Have It Your Way” philosophy: create an interactive Web site that lets consumers upload digital photos of themselves to become “Simpsons” characters. How did it work? More than 30 million photos were uploaded.

Media the likes of ABC “Nightline,” USA Today, Yahoo and CNN picked up on the story, resulting in 31.6 million impressions in the first two and a half weeks, and 48 million impressions by the end of the campaign. (BK's PR agency Edelman handled that function.)

Word was also spread thanks to more than 2,400 blogs linking to SimpsonizeMe.com. Demand was so great that site traffic had to be rerouted. This was all going on before the movie opened on July 27, 2007. The BK campaign launched July 16.

Since “The Simpsons” is a popular cultural phenomenon enjoyed around the world, the site is available in six languages: English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese and Italian.

“We saw a lot of international traffic,” says Dold, noting that participants came from more than 40 countries. “Burger King is not even available in France, but we got traffic from there.”

“Simpsons” creator Matt Groenig and executive producer Jim Brooks and their creative team helped Equity make sure all the details looked authentic, down to hairstyles, body types, outfits and accessories — from Marge's blue hair and Homer's 5 o'clock shadow to Lisa's pearl necklace. “They showed us how to assemble a ‘Simpsons’ character,” says Price. Equity also procured a kiosk that served the same function as the Web site, and was hit at the press party at the Beverly Hills Hilton following the theatrical premiere and at other special events.

Equity also arranged for a BK/“Simpsons” cross-promotion with Blockbuster and for the special URL to be promoted at NASCAR's Indianapolis 500 on July 29. While Equity handled the back-end technology for the Web site, Wunderman was responsible for the merchandising and packaging, and Crispin Porter did the advertising. “We're used to working in a multi-agency environment,” Dold explains.

And Burger King used Simpsonize Me to push its new Ultimate Double Whopper that only someone with Homer Simpson's appetite could enjoy. — Larry Jaffee

IDEA TO STEAL
KEEP IT SIMPLE

“The user experience was very simple,” Equity Marketing's Linda Price says of the SimpsonizeMe.com interface. It was also tailor-made for viral pass-alongs. After all, even people who don't watch TV know the ubiquitous “Simpsons” characters. When finished with their customized characters, fans can then pay to have their cartoon versions put onto coffee mugs, T-shirts, hats, aprons and photo sculptures. Having an immediately recognizable television franchise at one's disposal doesn't hurt, even after nearly two decades of so many promotions. Uncomplicated creativity trumps every time.