When someone says a Whopper, you might think of the flame-grilled Burger King kind. But in common parlance, it's also shorthand for something else: a lie.
Burger King and its agency, Bartle Bogle Hegarty, didn't miss an opportunity to poke a little fun at the political establishment in the run-up to the general election next Thursday, running a full-sized ad on the side of one London bus on Wednesday that read: "Another Whopper on the side of a bus. Must be an election."
While the execution doesn't specify which "whopper" it is referring to, one of the most famous political claims of recent years was the Vote Leave campaign's bus message claiming that Brexit would mean an extra £350m a week going to the NHS.
The figure, which has been widely debunked, referred to the nominal amount the UK is expected to contribute to the European Union's budget – but does not take into account the UK's rebate, which lowers it significantly, or EU spending within the UK, such as farm subsidies, which lowers that figure further.
The ad was created by Stuart Royall and Phil Holbrook.
"This is how advertising is meant to work," Ian Heartfield, outgoing chief creative officer at BBH, said. "Phil and Stu came up with a killer idea, a brave client didn’t hesitate to approve it, we got it made and out on to the streets in next to no time, the nation started talking about it. Job done."
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