Andy Eats A Burger.
Here’s why Burger King’s “Andy Warhol” commercial is so good.
“It doesn’t matter how slowly you go, as long as you don’t stop.” Andy Warhol
When Burger King “went off the common Super Bowl track” using old film footage of Andy Warhol eating a Whopper, I thought, Wow! Not because Warhol was an artistic genius—less than half of Super Bowl watchers even knew who Andy Warhol was—but because, in the original film clip, it took him two minutes longer to eat a burger than any American.
That makes this commercial one of the greatest subliminal messages of all time. Commercials, by their very nature, are supposed to spell things out, whereas Andy, without saying a word, told America to “eat slow.”
Not many people realized this was Burger King’s strategy — including Burger King. According to Marcelo Pascoa, head of global marketing, “What we love about Andy is what he represents as an art icon and his message about democratization of art.” This relates to Warhol’s comment that rich American consumers essentially buy the same things as the poorest.”
He also figured everyone would get their fifteen minutes of fame — which they didn’t.
They don’t, but Warhol made lots of comments like that. He also figured everyone would get their fifteen minutes of fame — which they didn’t.
Nevertheless, Burger King had Warhol eating a Whopper, so Pascoa spun it, saying, “Just like art, America’s Favorite Burger, the Whopper, is for everyone. Our commercial is an invitation for everyone in America to Eat Like Andy.”
Well, first of all, the Whopper isn’t everyone’s favorite. In overall ranking, according to, Ranker.com, it comes in around number five. Secondly, Eat Like Andy is a bit of a stretch. Andy was eating whatever burger Jorgen Leth, a Swedish filmmaker, put in front of him.
It was part of Leth’s “66 Scenes from America,” a documentary Warhol agreed to do, featuring him eating a burger. It didn’t matter what burger. Any burger would have fit the bill. Warhol even asked why it wasn’t a Big Mac.
Let’s not quibble, though. Burger King did something quite wonderful with #EatLikeAndy. Through Warhol, over 104 million viewers got the message to “eat slow.” What other fast food franchise spent $5.25 million during Super Bowl LIII helping us improve our eating habits?
We’re a nation of scarfers, and all that scarfing isn’t doing our bodies any good. In fact, fast eating may be worse than fast food.
We hear a lot about what we eat, but not how we eat. This is a timely message. We’re a nation of scarfers, and all that scarfing isn’t doing our bodies any good. In fact, fast eating may be worse than fast food.
Studies show we eat so fast, our brains don’t have time to tell our bodies we’re full. We’re actually eating ahead of ourselves. By slowing down, we take in fewer calories, leaving room for, you guessed it, more Whoppers.
It’s a strategy even Andy Warhol could get behind, since it’s essentially commercializing, something he believed formed the basis of art.
Warhol created art in multiples, the idea being that an industrialized society lives for duplication. A Whopper is a duplicate burger, just as much of Warhol’s art was designed to be duplicated. We’re an assembly-line society, waiting for the next best thing to come out.
Warhol also believed in extendibility, meaning all art can be stretched to form new art. One picture of Marilyn Monroe could be many. In advertising, we call this campaignability. It means spreading an idea out over many mediums.
That spot confused the hell out of me. I couldn’t figure out if corn syrup in beer is good or bad. Fuck it, I’ll have a vodka.
This is the opposite of what’s know as a “one off” advertising. Most of the Super Bowl LIII commercials were one offs. They didn’t go anywhere, especially Coke with their “Together Is Beautiful,” and Bud Lite’s “Corn Syrup.” That spot confused the hell out of me. I couldn’t figure out if corn syrup in beer is good or bad. Fuck it, I’ll have a vodka.
Burger King, on the other hand, could go on for years with this “Eat Slow” message. Imagine if they had footage of Donald Trump scarfing down a Big Mac on Air Force One. #Don’tEatLikeDonny would be a nice knock on McDonald’s, and solidify the message that healthy eaters aren’t Republicans.
Healthy eaters respect and appreciate food. They chew. They stay thin and slightly taciturn like Andy Warhol — or Bernie Sanders. #EatLikeBernie would play well with Democrats. He should do this if he takes another run at the presidency. A lot of fat Republicans might just squeal and cross the floor.
So when QSR magazine asks if the “Andy Warhol” commercial resonated with Super Bowl fans, of course they did. Think of all those fast food junkies seeing that spot, screaming at Warhol, “Eat it! Eat it! Get it in your belly!”
Eventually the food — and the booze — wears off, and the rec room is full of people with heartburn. They wish they’d never heard of fast food or Coke saying, “Together is Beautiful.” If you have four fat guys on a couch, together is never beautiful.
“Eat Slow” may not be fully realized, unless you watch the four-minute version on YouTube, but it will be if Burger King keeps it up.
Yet, through their glazed eyes, they’ll remember Burger King, and that thin guy with the terrible wig, leisurely eating a Whopper. Super Bowl fans may not be logical thinkers, but they do make connections. Thin guy, Whopper, fat guy, Donald Trump. In the end, it’s McDonald’s versus Burger King. Even if Warhol’s wig is ridiculous, it’s still not as bad as Donald Trump’s hair, which reminds me of a flattened beehive.
“Eat Slow” may not be fully realized, unless you watch the full four-minute version on YouTube, but it will be if Burger King keeps it up. Slow eating needs to be on everyone’s minds. We can reduce our caloric intake and make great strides towards being healthier and happier.
Having a Whopper now makes us smart eaters, people who at least chew. Chewing’s the key. Taking time to pour the ketchup out is important, too.
And thanks, Andy, wherever you are, for helping America to take the time to smell the Whopper.
So, thanks Burger King for your brilliant subliminal advertising. And thanks, Andy, wherever you are, for helping America to take the time to smell the Whopper. There’s another idea: “Take the Time to Smell the Whopper.”
I think Andy could get behind that, too (wherever he is).
Robert Cormack is a satirist, novelist and blogger. His first novel “You Can Lead a Horse to Water (But You Can’t Make It Scuba Dive)” is available online and at most major bookstores. Check out Skyhorse Press or Simon and Schuster for more details.
