BBDO Toronto Get Litigious For Harvey's

We all like a spot of customisation. Be it snapping a canny cover on our smartphone, taking a cheeky shot of vanilla syrup in our latte or giving our barnet that pink streak we've always fancied, having the ability to tailor our trinkets on a whim is one of modern life's simple pleasures. However, who's to say that after the lifetime of tastebud tinkering that goes into getting a foodie combination 'just so', someone else couldn't sweep in and steal your concoction and claim it as their own. Step in Morley Gunn of Gunn & Associates – a 'legitimate' lawyer who will copyright your distinctive Harvey's burger.

For their new 'Copyright' campaign showcasing the eminent flexibility of a Harvey's burger, BBDO Toronto produced a delightful website allowing customers to embrace their griddling creativity by putting together their perfect combination of patties, toppings and cheeses. Aided by a humorous and well-observed enticement video (starring the aforementioned Morley Gunn – lawyer of questionable abilities), the USP of the piece is the ability to 'copyright' their concoction, the owner then receiving a Harvey's copyright number, semi-official certificate of copyright and a 10% discount off their Harvey's orders until the end of February. They're also encouraged to share a digital version of their burger with their friends on Facebook and Twitter as a way to gain votes and increase their discount to 20%. The Harvey's burger gallery also lets users check out other consumers' creations and vote for them through the "I'd Order That" button.

We thoroughly enjoyed the site and video (making the Mega Madge in the process), so caught up with Nancy Crimi-Lamanna, V.P. Associate Creative Director at BBDO Toronto to ask about the site's conception, the importance of customisation and the value of little rewards.



How did you come up with the idea for the Harvey's Burger copyrighter?

It's interesting. If you ask five different people what they like on their burger, you'll likely get five different answers. Everyone's burger combination is unique and original. Harvey's has always been about that – creating a customized burger experience. It struck us that each burger is almost like a personal work of art and as such, should be copyrightable and ownable by the people that create them.

Is the fast food sector a difficult market to create engaging online content for?

Yes. Fast food consumers also have a fast attention span. Creating truly engaging content is tough as the only way to stand out in the sea of sameness is to defy existing work within the category. We did this with Harvey's by creating marketing that looks and feels nothing like what exists in the fast food sector.

How much were the clients involved? Was the aspect of being able to customise the burger a key USP for them?

The client was involved at every step in the process. They saw the power of the idea right from the start as it was wholly grounded in the experience their brand had been delivering for over 50 years. This simply took a digital approach to something physical-bringing the customization people receive in restaurant to life via a digital and social strategy.



The addition of the lawyer elements add a lovely comedic element to what could have been a more straightforward online customiser, making the campaign really stand out. Was that element in it from the beginning?

Morley Gunn, Burger Barrister came later. We first sold them on the copyright idea. We spent a lot of time mapping out the customer journey online as well as linking it to measurable results in-store so they could see the power of it. Once that was done, we wanted to create online content that told our story in a way that was fun and engaging. Since a copyright typically requires a lawyer, we thought it was the perfect genre for us to tell it.

The videos incorporate some nice 'amateur' touches in the edit and performance to sell the concept. Was it tough getting the production professionals to lower their game (as it were)?

Tough is an understatement. We've all been trained to craft and hone everything we create, but this purposefully went against all those instincts and did the exact opposite. Whenever the need to craft a cut, a read or a super struck us, we would suppress it. We had to keep reminding each other that, "If it's bad, then it must be good."

Is it fun writing spoof commercials like this? Did you scour the net for references?

It was a lot of fun, but also required a lot of restraint. Our goal was to make it feel as real as possible. The reaction we wanted to get from viewers was, "Is this for real?" "Is there really a lawyer crazy enough to try and make a living copyrighting burgers?" We wanted to create that uncertainty even if just for a few moments. To do that, we looked at dozens of lawyer ads on YouTube to find the right balance. We didn't want to push it so far that it became a parody of a parody, but we also wanted moments of self-awareness. So the writing balances being true to the genre with moments that hint at the comedic parody.

For campaigns like this, is it important to have a tangible 'reward' at the end of the process – like you have with the money off vouchers?

Yes, we thought so. While we hoped that the novel concept of being able to copyright a burger would get people to the My Harvey's Copyright site, we knew that a monetary reward or discount would go a long way in encouraging people to actually go through and complete the registration process.



Is it nice to see the campaign spread? Are you happy with the early results?

It's incredibly rewarding for everyone involved to see the campaign spread and gain momentum. When your friends outside the business are noticing and engaging, you know you've done something that goes beyond an ad. We're very happy with the early results. In the first four hours of launch, we had a burger created every minute and we're on track to achieve our forecasted numbers.

Is the campaign going to go any further? Will we see more of Morley Gunn?

It's not something I can talk about at the moment, but we're certainly hoping to. After all, there will always be more burgers to protect from copyright infringement.

What's your ultimate burger combo?

That's a great question. My ultimate combo is the Harvey's Angus Burger on a Great Canadian bun with Cheese, bacon, ketchup, mustard, lettuce, hot peppers and lots of pickles. We're learning that Canadians love their pickles.

What's up next for you?

We're in the process of developing new work for the second year of our 'Quit the Denial' Social smoking campaign. We had a lot of success with our 'Social Farter' analogy, so there's a lot of pressure to make sure we can create the same level of success next year and further the conversation on Social Smoking.