ABSTRACT
What would you do for a free Whopper? This is the question that Burger King asked consumers during a 2009 online promotional campaign involving a free giveaway for its signature hamburger sandwich. The company gambled that consumers would be willing to “sacrifice” ten of their Facebook friends to receive a coupon for a free Whopper, because as Burger King claimed on its website, “You like your friends, but you love the Whopper.” And Burger King won that gamble; to wit, within 10 days, nearly 234,000 people were de-friended (and alerted to that fact by email) for the sake of a hamburger, amounting to more than 23,000 coupons for free Whoppers (Wortham, 2009). Burger King had counted on the likelihood that consumers would attribute a higher value to a short-term reward-a free hamburger that no doubt for many had previously served as a satisfying meal-to the long-term potential value (whatever that may be) of 10 Facebook friends. Given the cost of a Whopper, each “friend” essentially valued at about US$.37.
