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Subservient Chicken

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That shiver that just inexplicably ran up your spine? It’s because Burger King has just announced one of the most bizarre (and creepy, let’s be honest) strategic marketing decisions. Ever. They are bringing back Subservient Chicken.

First introduced over 10 years ago, the Subservient Chicken “campaign” featured a grown man dressed in a chicken costume who was pre-recorded doing hundreds of vignettes so it appeared as if the Subservient Chicken was performing on command via the website.

Just as it was 10 years ago, Subservient Chicken is reappearing to promote a new chicken sandwich. Moving it into current times, the website asks you to share the message with your social networks and use the hashtag #FindTheChicken.

Currently, the website only shows an empty shot of the room where Subservient Chicken danced, did push-ups, and a variety of other tasks a decade ago. This Wednesday at 9am a new video will be uploaded to the site, ostensibly to move this campaign forward.

What do you think? Is Subservient Chicken just weird enough to make this a viral hit (no TV ads will run as part of this) and turn around the year-long sales slump that Burger King has been suffering? Or is is another case study for MBA students on how NOT to do advertising?