Ad of the Day: WhataWings take flight at Whataburger, sparking spicy chicken wing debate
Whataburger’s boneless wings have landed, but not everyone’s clucking with joy. With this new offering, the chain aims to settle the internet’s age-old chicken wings debacle once and for all.
In a world where chicken wing debates are more heated than buffalo sauce, burger chain Whataburger has thrown its hat into the ring with the grand launch of its new boneless wings, WhataWings. However, as its accompanying ad campaign suggests, not everyone is singing its praises.
The Texan fast-food giant’s latest culinary creation comes with a side of controversy, served hot and saucy: a TV commercial that follows an irate resident who is so mad about the boneless wings that he takes his beef – or rather, his chicken – to a city council meeting. As the disgruntled local passionately states his case, he argues that WhataWings are not real wings because “real wings have bones.” He goes on to claim that even Whataburger’s famous sauces “do not turn WhataWings into real wings.”
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According to the brand, the campaign aims to finally settle the long-running Reddit debate: is a chicken wing truly a wing without the bone?
For traditionalists who still need convincing, Whataburger says it is also rolling out a limited edition utensil, a ‘Boneless Bone,’ paired with a wet wipe, as part of the campaign.
The creative was developed by McGarrah Jessee, an Austin-based independent agency, while Laura Murphy directed the spot and Gravy Films and The Voorhes produced it.
“Our customers and superfans are clever. They deserve an ad campaign that gives a wink and a nod to their kitschy sense of humor,” commented Whataburger’s vice-president of marketing and communications, Donna Tuttle. “It was exciting to unleash the creativity of McGarrah Jessee and the Whataburger team.”
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Accompanying the commercial are playful social videos featuring user-generated content (UGC), which highlight WhataWing sauces, branded ‘saucy sweatsuit’ apparel and a teaser video featuring a truckload of Whataburger napkins.
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