Hey Donna I did a blog post about this called Burger king of butts which addressed this very issue sogeshirts.blogspot.com/.../burger-king-of-butts.html I agree with you completely that this commercial is terrible for kids and I don't buy that it is aimed at adults. They used spongebob squarepants and are trying to sell kids meals. They blew the execution unless they are trying to pander to adults with square butt fetishes. All in all a pretty disturbing commercial where the only winner is sir mix a lot.

They said it was targeted towards adults... They might as well said we think you all are morons so we're going to insult your intelligence. You don't put SpongeBob and BK kids meals as the focus if it's geared towards adults. I'm not super-conservative or liberal, but that's over the top for a kids meal. It's not horrible, but come on! Plenty of other songs to choose from..........

There is a significant segment of 20-somethings who are young enough to remember Sir-Mix-A-Lots hit song and who have watched SpongeBob. This is the market of consumers who go to out to eat more than 10-15 times a week. That is who Burger King is targeting. I think the ad is genius and hits the market perfectly.

The ads focus isn't on women. It's on square butts, which isn't very sexual at all. Last time I check, sexualized images of women included curves not angles. There is sexual innuendo but that's everywhere, even in Hanna Montana. The most important thing to remember is that your posts, complaints, letters, and blogs simply prove the ads effectiveness and increase the reach and influence. Burger King and CPG (ad agency) are grateful for your concern.

Burger King ads featuring that plastic-headed king are so bad in general that the bar governing my expectations of their commercials now sits below sea level. This commercial really caught my attention, however, because it's beyond bad. I'm less concerned about its objectification of women (although that's gross too) than I am about the capacity of this kind of garbage to lower the collective IQs of the next generation. The ad execs who conceived it should be tied to chairs and forced to watch endless tape loops of the recent Mac vs. PC commercials to drum into their heads what good advertising can and should be like.

The ad was targeted at Adults? Give me a break.

IF it was targeted for adults, then explain to me why:
A- It was run on Nickelodeon, which is a children network if I remember well
B- It features Sponge Bob Square, who is a character known by children mainly.

I may believe it was targeted to young adults, say 18-25. Then still, it's no excuse to "promote junk food, but it's absolutely egregious when that character simultaneously promotes objectified, sexualized images of women."

Shame on you Burget King for making such a rubbish ad and on you Nickelodeon, for ignoring so many complaints, only for money that you get from the ad. Grow a conscience please.

The commercial won't, but the food will.

I think this commercial is funny for adults, sure... but it being aired at prime-time and for a kids meal, clearly it's aimed at kids, and that's wrong.

Sure, square butts are silly, and the kids almost certainly find it funny in an innocent way... but the way the women are dancing, the way it emulates real (and usually obscene) rap videos, closing with Sir Mix-A-Lot saying "It's all about the booty", provides yet another example showing children that it's normal and acceptable for women to gyrate and hump the air to "dance". It's sick when you see little young girls moving like that, thinking it's a perfectly normal way to dance since that's all they see women do nowadays.

It's wrong and needs to be pulled, or needs to be played at night on adult networks where us adults can freely laugh at it. Corrupting our children is NOT a laughing matter. Last I heard, the federal criminal offense of "corruption of a minor" carries a heavy prison sentence. Why is it that TV stations and magazines can get away with this crime constantly, in ways where it's impossible for parents to block them? Not right at all.

"Last I heard, the federal criminal offense of "corruption of a minor" carries a heavy prison sentence."

Last I heard, you're a moron.

"Why is it that TV stations and magazines can get away with this crime constantly, in ways where it's impossible for parents to block them?"

Turn off the TV, moron.

this is inaproppriate, i dont want my lil sis to be watching this, and now in the world you see kids having sex and pregnant, and its all becuz of stuff like this, and at the end, "BOOTY IS BOOTY" drew the line. GROW UP YOU ONE HIT WONDER!

When I complained to Burger King they wrote back saying they were "targeting adult audiences". This is what I said in reply:
That is not relevant. What is relevant is whether children are watching. I can assure you that children are watching. Of course they are, and your marketing people know they are. The ad runs during prime time, features a Kids Meal , and is designed to appeal to children.

I don't know about BK's Square Butt ad. But what about Taco Bell who, during their "Win 1 Million Peso's" ad, you would go to the website and enter your numbers from the cup, to win the suitcase of money hidden under El Presidente's desk? Nobody seemed to mind that one.

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The Burger King/Sponge Bob Hoopla | Life in Orillia