Burger King released a stomach-churning 45-second spot that shows the transformation of its Whopper over the course of 34 days go from picture-perfect and edible to extra moldy. The video is part of the fast food chain’s larger ad campaign and move to launch Whoppers made without artificial preservatives, which will be available at all Burger King locations in the US by the end of 2020. Currently, over 400 US Burger Kings and most European countries are selling Whoppers free of artificial preservatives.

“The beauty of real food is that it gets ugly,” Burger King wrote in its caption of the video. The decision to display its signature burger decaying resulted in mixed responses across social. One disappointed user questioned the food from Burger King she had previously been eating, “So this means that we have been eating artificial preservatives all this long…” while another more optimistic user wrote, “Oddly enough this could be considered as art.” While others questioned whether the video is a genius marketing ploy or just a bad idea.

A video spot that borders oddly satisfying and nauseating is in line with Burger King’s out-of-the-box marketing history. The tactic is on-brand, but it’s also just smart marketing. Studies show that emotions drive purchasing behaviors, and good marketing utilizes the concept that consumers must be engaged by an interaction with a brand. 

In his research on neuromarketing, author Martin Lindstrom found that consumers engage most with products and ads that utilize a sensory aspect. Burger King’s moldy whopper campaign might not induce the most enjoyable sensorial experience, but it definitely got a reaction out of people.

As consumers demand more transparency, an ad campaign highlighting the removal of artificial preservatives was expected of Burger King. In fact, for having been so inventive with its marketing thus far, the fast food giant is late to the real food game. 

In 2018, McDonald’s removed artificial additives from seven classic burgers and updated its Big Mac sauce. That same year, the Golden Arches introduced fresh beef for its Quarter Pounders across most US stores. The costly decision, which took over four years and cost its meat suppliers more than $60 million, resulted in McDonald’s selling 30 percent more burger during Q1 2019 versus the year prior and its regaining of market share for the first time in five years.

For Q4 2019, Burger King’s parent company reported net income of $257 million, down from $301 million a year earlier.