Burger King Just Ran the Best Commercial I Have Seen in Twenty Years. And It Taught Me Something About Real Estate.
I was sitting on my sofa in Arcadia the other night, mindlessly scrolling, when a Burger King commercial stopped me cold. Not because it was loud or flashy or packed with celebrities. It stopped me because Burger King did something that almost nobody in business has the courage to do anymore. They told the truth. Out loud. On purpose. Without a single apology.
Their new commercial openly admits their food does not look like the picture. No spin. No carefully worded disclaimer buried in fine print at the bottom of the screen. Just honest, straightforward acknowledgment that what you unwrap looks like real food, not a photo shoot. And they tied it directly back to something they are proud of, real ingredients, no artificial preservatives, food that looks the way real food actually looks. It was refreshing in a way I genuinely did not expect from a fast food commercial on a Tuesday night.
I applaud their CEO for having the courage to take that stance publicly and build an entire campaign around it. That kind of honesty does not happen by accident. It starts at the top and it filters through everything. Brilliant leadership. Brilliant marketing. And closing the whole thing out with a classic song by The Who? That was the cherry on top. Absolute perfection.
Now let me bring this a little closer to home.
Realtors, I love you, but we need to have an honest conversation. Our industry has quietly normalized a version of marketing that stretches the truth in ways we have all become a little too comfortable with. Listing photos shot from the one precise angle that somehow hides the highway fifty feet behind the back fence. Property descriptions so creatively written that a forty year old kitchen with original appliances becomes a charming vintage culinary space full of character and potential. Headshots filtered and retouched from a session that happened during the Obama administration. I know because I have been guilty of some of this too. I am not standing here pointing fingers at anyone else. I am standing here because that Burger King commercial looked me in the eye and made me want to do better.
Here is the truth after 31 years in Oklahoma luxury real estate. Clients always know. They walk through the door and they see the highway. They open the kitchen cabinets and they see the age. They meet you in person and they do the math on the headshot. You do not build trust by showing people the best possible version of everything. You build trust by being straight with them from the very first conversation, even when straight is harder, even when it costs you the listing, even when the truth is not what anyone in the room wants to hear. That is the kind of agent people call back. That is the kind of agent people refer to their friends. That is the kind of reputation that outlasts every market cycle.
Burger King figured it out. Honesty is not a weakness. It is the most powerful marketing tool you will ever have.
Now here is my one and only personal conflict with this entire situation. I genuinely love that commercial. I have watched it multiple times. I have told people about it. I respect everything about what they did. And I have absolutely zero plans to ever set foot in a Burger King again. My doctor, my waistline, and my fifty something digestive system sat down together years ago and made that decision permanently and unanimously on my behalf. The Whopper and I had a beautiful run in our twenties and thirties and I will always be grateful for the memories. But those days are behind me. I will be over here in the salad aisle cheering you on with great admiration and deep personal restraint.
Keep telling the truth Burger King. It looks good on you.
Now I want to hear from you. Do you think realtors are guilty of over promising and under delivering? Drop a comment and let us have the honest conversation our industry needs.
Wyatt Poindexter | Managing Partner | The Agency Oklahoma City & Tulsa | 405-417-5466 | www.OKLuxuryHomes.com | 31 years of selling Oklahoma's finest estates and homes | Elite Guild Member of The Institute of Luxury Home Marketing | One of the top 5 luxury realtors in all of Oklahoma for over 15 years.
