Burger King: Web chicken under radar NEW YORK (Reuters) - Burger King, the world's No. 2 hamburger chain, is moving forward with plans to capitalize on the success of its offbeat "Subservient Chicken" Web site while making sure to keep its hero below the mainstream radar.
The chain, which is working to revitalize sales and promote its new TenderCrisp chicken sandwiches, launched the Web site April 7, creating a wave of Internet buzz and media attention overnight. A search for the phrase "subservient chicken" on Internet search engine Google, for instance, produces more than 40,000 results.
On the quirky site, an actor in a chicken costume takes commands from visitors to the site, reinforcing Burger King's "Have it Your Way" message without referencing the restaurant chain directly.
Between April 11-18, the number of people who visited the site at least once from their home computers surged more than two-and-a-half times to 407,000, according to tracking firm Nielsen/NetRatings.
Since then, traffic has trailed off, with just 186,000 people visiting the site from home in the week ended May 2.
Miami-based Burger King has remained mum about the chicken's future but said consumers should not expect to see his image at one of its restaurants.
"That would be far too mainstream," Burger King spokesman Blake Lewis said. "The chicken doesn't do mainstream."
However, Lewis did not rule out the possibility of the chicken popping up in one of Burger King's television ads.
Branding experts think Burger King is doing the right thing by keeping the chicken out of the limelight, and said the mystique will allow it to retain its appeal among 20- to 30-year-olds who may not respond to more overt marketing.
"If they had that chicken in front of their stores, then it's not doing what it was meant to do," said Steven Addis, CEO of brand strategy firm the Addis Group. "It gets a quick cult following and that's really what they are trying to go after."
Burger King is pleased with sales of its TenderCrisp and Spicy TenderCrisp chicken sandwiches since the site's launch, Lewis said, though he declined to give specific figures.
Overall, however, the company last week said sales at company-operated restaurants open at least a year rose 7.3 percent in April, their largest gain since November 1999.
Burger King, which is owned by private equity firm Texas Pacific Group, trails McDonald's Corp. (MCD: Research, Estimates) in both sales and restaurants and has had difficulty in recent years finding its footing in the competitive U.S. fast-food market.
The chain has also experienced high turnover of ad agencies for its estimated $350 million account. It hired "Subservient Chicken" creator Crispin Porter + Bogusky after dumping WPP Group Plc's Young & Rubicam earlier this year.
By all accounts, the switch has been well received, and experts said Burger King should capitalize on the "Subservient Chicken's" success with or without the chicken himself.
"I would expect them to follow it up with the next really cool thing in their arsenal," said Mark DiMassimo, CEO and creative director for DiMassimo Brand Advertising. "I don't think that they are under a lot of pressure to extend the chicken. He's not like the Energizer Bunny."
