Will Only $6.25 A Meal Blow your Mind Away?

Advertising “America”

Advertisements have been a way of promoting one’s goods and services dating back to before 4000 BC. From notices on billboards to street merchants showcasing their wares, advertising has been a way to garner more attention and interaction. Advertising can fuel economic growth, educate the public, and even foster a wide array of media choices (“The Role of Advertising in America” ANA). The sponsor of an advertisement pays to have control over the message they want to send and through what media they want to communicate their message. As mass media and pop culture go hand in hand, most advertisements will feature dominant ideology directed toward a specific audience. Of course, American advertisements’ target audience is the American people. Advertising is linked to the very principles of America — being free speech, competition, and individual choice (“The Role of Advertising in America” ANA). So what does this Burger King “It’ll Blow Your Mind Away” advertisement say about the culture of America?

Depicted in this advertisement is a woman with her mouth open towards the ‘Burger King Super Seven Incher’ with a large caption that says, “It’ll Blow Your Mind Away.” The woman’s features consist of blonde hair, blue eyes, a distinct red lipstick, and a shocked, open-mouth expression on her face. A smaller caption in the upper right corner says “It Just Tastes Better” next to a Burger King logo. Below the larger caption is a picture of the BK Super Seven Incher, labeled with smaller images of a large Coca-Cola drink and a box of fries. The price of this meal is $6.25, with the small caption under the price reading, “Fill your desire for something long, juicy, and flame-grilled with the NEW BK SUPER SEVEN INCHER. Yearn for more after you take the mind-blowing burger that comes with a single beef patty, topped with American cheese, crispy onions, and the A1 Thick & Heavy Steak Sauce.” All of these elements are carefully put together in this poster to appeal to the target audience of Americans and showcase the stereotypes associated with American culture.

How Fast Is Food?

Burger King is one of many fast-food chains across the nation. Other famous fast-food restaurants include McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Chick-fil-A, Subway, and more. Burger King has been a staple American fast food restaurant for many decades. Since its founding in 1952, it has grown to a multinational chain of hamburger fast food restaurants. While the BK Super Seven Incher has been removed from the menu, the impact of the advertisement has stuck. The influx of mixed reactions, mostly negative, has made this specific ad iconic. Just typing in the words, “it’ll blow your mind away” in a search engine, and the first few results will be discussing the Burger King advertisement. Although, the reasoning for marketing this meal, with a sandwich as large as seven inches, for only $6.25 relates to the value of fast food at its core.

The global era of industrialization and modernization has caused several countries to improve technology to have high-efficiency and fast-paced work. This focus on constantly enhancing work efficiency became a way of life for Americans, especially since the attitudes towards food consumption were also affected. The convenience and affordability of fast food are two key characteristics that have defined American culture, specifically, the American eating style. At least 1 in 4 Americans eat fast food every day, consuming 31% more packaged food than fresh food (“11 Facts About American Eating Habits.” DoSomething.org). Food items prepared quickly and served on the go are perfect for those who live fast-paced lives.

The most famous city in the United States is New York City. When picturing the lives of those who live and work in New York City, the word that comes to mind is “busy.” The city is constantly awake, moving, and changing, with its residents living in a constant state of hurry. Their work is essential; therefore, they may not have time to think of the day-to-day necessities like food. Eating seems to become a burden for those city dwellers, so fast food is particularly favorable to those who work day and night. Paying only $6.25 for a ready-in-minutes meal that includes a giant sandwich with a medium drink and fries is a good deal for someone who is rushing to their next meeting. If one were to buy the same meal for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, it would total less than $20. With fast food places incorporated into workplaces and office cafeterias, people could stay within their building and grab a quick meal before heading back to work.

Bigger Is Always Better

While the convenience and affordability of fast food are factors a person weighs for their options of lunch, the quality and quantity of food also play a role. American culture’s common stereotype is that the food is unhealthy and the portions are substantial. In America, everything is bigger. Bigger trucks, bigger guns, bigger burgers. Fast food is not meant to be nutritious; it is intended to be filling. In order to have the qualities of being fast and convenient, fast foods are often processed and packaged with salt, saturated fat, and excess sugar. The preserved components are packaged this way to be opened quickly and heated. Fast food focuses more on flavors, stacking layers upon layers of savory meats, salty cheeses, and fried foods. Eating fast food and leading a sedentary lifestyle can result in health complications such as obesity and coronary disease. Both saturated fats in animal-based foods like beef, pork, and cheese influence an individual’s cholesterol levels (“Saturated Fat.” Www.heart.org), and refined carbohydrates in white bread or sugar increase the risk of heart disease (Fuhrman).

The excess calories within fast food can also shorten one’s lifespan and accumulate excess weight (Fuhrman). On average, a person only needs to eat around 2,000 to 2,500 calories to maintain a healthy weight. In this, one Super Seven Incher is estimated to be around the same as a Triple Whopper, which sits at 1130 calories. These 1130 calories, combined with a medium Coca-Cola of 29 fluid ounces (290 calories) and medium fries (380 calories) — as advertised in the picture — would total 1,800 calories (“Burger King Menu Nutrition Facts: Calories, Carbs, Fat, etc”). Consuming one meal of the Burger King Super Seven Incher with a drink and fries would fill about 85% of the total calories a person should have per day.

The more significant portions directly correlate to the excess calories. “Bigness” is a part of the American way of thinking, as bigger is always better. This need for “Bigness” somewhat reflects the underlying culture of capitalism and greed, tying back to the era of industrialization where the United States went to compete with other nations in terms of manufacturing power and wealth. Capitalism is viewed within the United States as the system that supports the “American Dream” of working hard to earn a living in a country full of opportunity. Collecting achievements and showcasing wealth symbolizes the success of the “American Dream.” The scale of these items in terms of size and number directly relates to the amount of wealth.

The message of “bigger is better” infiltrates all aspects of American life, which is reflected in the advertising of these products. In the Burger King Super Seven Incher, the keywords “Super Seven Incher” within its title emphasize to the audience that the product is larger than average and hence, more “super.” The bigger portions within America are often served without the customer’s knowledge of healthy portion size. Not everyone counts calories or keeps track of what they eat daily, so the amount that one may eat for just one meal can be easily overlooked. In fact, in 2007, a survey of 300 American chefs was conducted, which found that most are serving portions up to four times what the government recommends (Sale). Most people would view this specific advertisement of the Burger King Super Seven Incher and only be concerned about how to get a “bang for their buck,” or in other words, their money’s worth.

Blow Your Mind Away (Literally?)

Slang phrases like “bang for the buck” or “bigger is always better” are frequently used within contemporary American culture. One such slang phrase used within the advertisement in question is “blow your mind away.” The phrase, in colloquial definition, means to significantly impress a person to the point where they cannot think. The phrase’s usage in this advertisement implies that the burger is bigger and better than usual and is exceptionally delicious to the point you will be “blown away.” Although, similar to how “bang for the buck” can have a sexual connotation as the word “bang” can be used to mean excitement, the act of sex, or a sound for a gunshot, the word “blow” can have several meanings. “Blow,” as a slang term, can be used as a shortened version of “blow-job” to describe the action of stimulating a male’s genitals with one’s mouth. The imagery of the advertisement, with the woman’s mouth wide open toward the horizontally placed sandwich — meant to represent a male sexual organ. The caption also plays into the “sexual” appeal of the Burger King Super Seven Incher. The words “fill your desire for something, long, juicy…” and the description of the steak sauce as “…the A1 Thick & Heavy Sauce” both hint at what the sandwich is meant to represent in the advertisement truly. Even the title of “Super Seven Incher” directly references penis size. This play on words and carefully placed imagery is a prime example of how advertisements cater to the audience’s need for sex.

The main goal of an advertisement is to generate interest in the product. Sex appeal is used to catch a viewer’s attention and associate the positive feelings of that sex appeal to the product displayed. The caption can be viewed as harmless if taken at face value since the entire phrase states, “Fill your desire for something long, juicy, and flame-grilled with the NEW BK SUPER SEVEN INCHER,” referring only to the sandwich as long and juicy. Meanwhile, the image placement of the woman is not very innocent. Sex sells, and most advertisers take advantage of this to reel in their audience through strategically placed sexual innuendos. The usage of sex to appeal to a broader audience directly reflects the stereotype of American culture being raunchy or less conservative than other cultures. Especially in countries with religions that view sex as taboo, sex is not shown in the media as it is shown within American media. This particular advertisement was removed in Singapore due to being too vulgar and inappropriate, but it was still used within the United States.

Sex is a common theme within American media. Take, for example, another advertisement from a similar fast-food restaurant chain, Carl’s Jr. This advertisement depicts supermodel Paris Hilton in a revealing swimsuit holding a burger with the caption “She’ll tell you size doesn’t matter. She’s lying.” In this advertisement, the sexual innuendo of “size doesn’t matter” references the bigger is better argument by hinting at the larger size of a man’s genitals being better. This also refers to the burger where its increased size makes it better than before. While sex is a powerful marketing tactic, studies have shown that sex does not sell as well as advertisers may think. The audience of those who watch the advertisement has a big influence on the way it is received, so typically sexual advertisements are aimed at those between the 18 to 30 year age range. The science behind why sex sells is that erotic stimuli of the advertisement will get the brain to associate the advertisement with something good because of the sexual innuendos being made, but a study by Iowa Not long ago, researchers at Iowa State University found that viewers of programs with sexually explicit or violent content were less likely to remember commercials immediately after watching and even 24 hours later (“Does Sex Really Sell?”). These people associated the commercial more with negative emotions, thinking it to be too vulgar if in the wrong context of the other advertisements and television shows they were watching. The advertisement featuring Paris Hilton also received negative reviews from viewers, but not as many as the one from Burger King due to the Burger King advertisement being more explicit.

Will America Buy It?

In summary, the Burger King Super Seven Incher advertisement plays directly into the stereotypes and values of American culture. Americans love fast food because it is convenient and affordable. These meal portions tend to come in bigger sizes since the size is a measure of excellence. Americans want delicious, filling food that will quite literally “blow you away,” giving them pleasure through the act of eating. So why should a person buy the Burger King Super Seven Incher? They should buy the Burger King Super Seven Incher because it is convenient, big, filling, cheap, and delicious — therefore, better than ever. It is everything that America should want in a meal from Burger King. However, there is a significant problem with this advertisement.

As stated previously, this advertisement was very poorly received by its audience within the United States. The Burger King Super Seven Incher was controversial for many reasons, primarily those pertaining to the sexual imagery used. The main audience of this advertisement can be assumed to be the male population as it references a female performing a sexual act on a penis. The image created is very degrading as it promotes the idea that women are submissive, sexual beings that exist for the sole purpose of serving men. The words “fill your desire” take on a different meaning as the woman in the picture would be filling desires if she were to take the phallic-like object within her mouth. Not only was the imagery of the woman degrading, but it was also used without her consent. The model in the picture did not allow the company of Burger King to use her image, which they had obtained from a third party without her knowledge. The female audience would only associate negative feelings with this inappropriate sexual activity and the degradation of another woman performing the action.

So while the goal of advertisements is to appeal to their audience, taking into account the audience’s culture, sometimes they miss the mark. What advertisers think America wants, what the media decides to display, and what the American audience wants to see are all separate. This advertisement is one instance of not appealing to the target audience, coming off as controversial, inappropriate, and vulgar. The end result of this advertisement being taken down further shows that American culture cannot be defined by just its stereotypes.

Works Cited

“11 Facts About American Eating Habits.” DoSomething.org,

https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-american-eating-habits.

“Burger King Menu Nutrition Facts: Calories, Carbs, Fat, Etc.” Nutrition, 26 Oct. 2021,

https://www.nutrition-charts.com/burger-king-nutritional-information/#:~:text=Burger%20King%20Menu%20Nutritional%20Guide%3A%20Food%20Data%20%26,%20%2013%20%2014%20more%20rows%20.

“Does Sex Really Sell?” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers,

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/time-out/201007/does-sex-really-sell.

Fuhrman, Joel. “The Hidden Dangers of Fast and Processed Food.” American Journal of Lifestyle

Medicine, SAGE Publications, 3 Apr. 2018,

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6146358/.

Sale, Kirkpatrick. “In Modern America, Bigger Is Not Only Better, It’s the Best.” Post and Courier, The

Post and Courier, 14 Sept. 2020,

https://www.postandcourier.com/opinion/commentary/in-modern-america-bigger-is-not-only-better-it-s-the-best/article_8a575202–3c13–11e7-aa62–3b65aa43707e.html.

“Saturated Fat.” Www.heart.org, 1 Nov. 2021,

https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/fats/saturated-fats.

“The Role of Advertising in America.” ANA,

https://www.ana.net/content/show/id/role-of-advertising-in-america.