AdMiration feature: BUBBA burger’s “You BUBBA Believe It: Security Cam”

3 facts

• The ad lands in the top 20% of US ads for its ability to drive short-term sales and scores in line with the norm for building brand equity over the long term (Sales Impact: 82; Brand Impact: 64).

• People really enjoyed this ad (Enjoyment: 4.1 vs 3.9 norm). Laughter is the dominant emotion at 29% (vs. 7% norm) — more than four times the average, while Love builds across the back half as the creature helps itself to the burger and the tagline lands.

• The spot has a strong Purchase Uplift of 34% (vs. 22% norm), with BUBBA moving from 5% preference before viewing to 39% after. 

2 learnings

• The unexpected grabs attention but you need to keep your brand front and center to the story. As described by the agency behind the campaign, products in BUBBA burger’s category are normally dominated by “very rational claims and a lot of stock photography.” BUBBA goes the other way. Instead of listing what makes the burger good, it builds the whole ad around a deadpan Yeti and a punchline, showing its quality rather than stating it. Doing something unexpected like this can be a great way to grab attention but it can also come with a trap: people can remember the joke and forget whose ad it was. BUBBA avoids that by keeping the brand front and center as the whole joke only works because the burger is good enough to lure the Yeti out of the woods. That choice makes the ad land emotionally and stay memorable as one viewer summed up: “Was a clever, humorous ad. Didn’t really tell specifics about the burger but you’ll remember the name and probably try them.”

• Mixing realism with the absurd can make an ad truly distinctive. By staging a mythical creature inside the frame of a backyard security camera, the ad makes an impossible premise feel plausible — convincing us this isn’t a polished commercial but footage of something that actually happened. That tension between the real-life framing and the one thing that couldn’t possibly be real is what makes people look twice (Ad Distinctiveness: 4.1 vs. 3.7 norm; Claimed Attention: 4.2 vs. 3.9 norm). As one viewer put it: “I liked how the man ran in fear. Bigfoot casually looking around and eating was different and unexpected.” 

1 reflection

Are you telling people your product tastes good, or building the anticipation of that first bite?

BUBBA’s real challenge with this campaign is convincing people that a convenient, freezer-to-grill burger can taste as good as the fresh ground beef they’d buy at the counter. The ad makes that point without ever saying it explicitly. 

Nothing about the taste of the burgers is being said, we just see them sizzling on the grill, smoke rising, an aroma so good it draws a Yeti out of the woods. Viewers can taste it with their eyes: 65% of people agree that Bubba has “great taste” and 42% agree it offers “premium quality,”, with people describing the burgers as “very juicy and delicious,” “appetizing” and “probably taste good” after watching the ad. The spot clearly builds a conviction about flavor through the senses. 

And when a creature that’s supposed to stay out of sight crosses a backyard for this burger, it makes the case for how good it tastes better than any claim could.

The question worth asking yourself is: are you telling people your product tastes great, or are you making them feel it? The most persuasive taste cues can be things like smoke, sizzle and someone (or something) who can’t resist.