Burger King has decided to cancel its collaboration with content creator ElXokas, one of the four influencers who star in this year’s edition of the “Grand King” campaign. The movement arises in response to the comments made by the streamer in one of his broadcasts about the actress Ester Expósito, described as sexist and misogynistic by a large part of society.
During one of his live shows on Twitch, within the framework of the Soccer World Cup, ElXokas expressed that he would not want to be with a woman like the actress because of her political ideas and rated her according to a score: “That girl is… because of her political thoughts, doctrine, etc… It’s not worth it to be with such an attractive chick if she has that thought. It’s better to be with a 6. I put Snoopy a thousand times over that chick.“he commented.
The brand has chosen to end its relationship with ElXokas several days after making these statements: “At Burger King we have decided to cancel the collaboration with this content creator from our Grand King campaign.“, the brand said in a statement published through Stories on Instagram. “We want to make it clear that their statements do not in any way represent the values that we defend as a brand and we apologize to those who may have felt offended by the collaboration.”.
The company has clarified that the campaign will continue with the other three participating content creators: Marta Díaz, Peldanyos and Marina Rivers.
From reason.Why We have contacted the brand to learn more about the movement. We will update the news when we receive more information.
The company has already eliminated its presence from the section dedicated to the initiative on its website and application, in which users can now only purchase the menus of Marta Díaz, Peldanyos or Marina Rivers.
ElXokas, for its part, still maintains the publications made within the framework of the campaign at the time of publishing this news. One of them was the advertisement itself, which has accumulated 9 million views; as well as an original piece in which he explains the Burger King products that are part of his personalized menu and encourages his followers to buy it.
However, the main piece of the Grand King campaign, in which the four creators appear, are still available on the brand’s YouTube channel at the time of writing. The video dedicated to the ElXokas menu is also on social networks, in which the creator encourages users to buy his combination of brand products.
It is precisely this publication that has become the epicenter of criticism and comments from users, who over the last few days have asked the company to end its relationship with the streamer, have demanded public apologies from the burger chain and have even started a movement to boycott its products.
“Aren’t you ashamed to have a menu with the name of this man who denigrates women by giving them a rating???“, comments one user. “Until they remove this human specimen’s menu, I will not eat at BK again“, pointed out another person. “I will never get a burger king again in my life” or “You have lost a customer forever!” are other opinions that can still be read in the publication. And another renamed the menu under the concept “The Great Misogynistic Burger”.
The advertising strategy and the choice of prescribers have also been other issues that have been criticized against the brand. “This character is the prototype of everything our children should not follow. Very bad publicity“, pointed out one user. “Aren’t you even a little embarrassed that this character is part of your brand image?“, questioned one person, while another assured that until the mark was manifested, he would continue to relate it to the score for women.
Other users have even encouraged McDonald’s to launch a counter-campaign.
ElXokas and the Grand King
Burger King launched the campaign at the end of June, repeating an initiative it deployed last year and which consists of creating exclusive and personalized menus by four content creators and pitting them against each other to discover which one is the most successful among consumers. On this occasion, the brand has had Marta Díaz, Peldanyos, Marina Rivers and El Xokas. The chain’s intention is to ultimately mobilize influencer communities to drive awareness and sales.
Last year it featured Lola Lolita, RoRo, CeciArmy and DjMaRiiO as protagonists, and it was the latter who won the victory. What’s more, said creator also appears in the advertisement for the campaign, developed by the creative agency David Madrid and produced by Redwood. For its part, Omnicom has been in charge of public relations.
“We have created a fresh, dynamic and authentic experience that connects with new generations through entertainment and real participation. Having four of the most relevant content creators of the moment allows us to approach them from their own language and codes.“commented Yvette Altet, Marketing Director at Burger King Spain, in a statement at the time of the campaign launch. “‘Grand King’ is a campaign faithful to the spirit of Burger King®, which reinforces our connection with young audiences”.
As part of the campaign, still active, Burger King is raffling off 100 double tickets to attend the Grand King Summer House, which the brand described as “a unique experience with Marta Díaz, Peldanyos, Marina Rivers and El Xokas.” This will take place in the same villa where the spot was filmed and will combine activities, live content and moments with the creators. It could be inferred, based on the company’s statement, that ultimately ElXokas will not be part of said initiative.
Likewise, it also offers a trip for two people personally designed by the influencer who wins the competition, and which will be raffled among the fans who have supported them the most.
