Why Nelly's BK Commercial Used The Rapper's Real Name To Advertise A Value Meal
There have been countless fast food ad campaigns featuring celebrities over the years, from Steve Carell's long-forgotten McDonald's commercial to Taco Bell's star-studded "Eat Like You" commercial. For most of these promotions, the point is ostensibly to attach a star's name to a new item or meal for marketing purposes. That's what makes a certain Burger King commercial from 2021, which features acclaimed rapper Nelly, so confusing.
In the ad, Nelly appears to promote his own special Nelly-themed Burger King meal. In an odd twist, he finds himself suddenly rejected by the establishment, which chooses to create a meal based on an alternate version of Nelly who goes by his real name. Thus, the Cornell Haynes Jr. Meal is born. While the interactions between Nelly and his alternate self make for some good comedy, some may still be wondering why exactly Burger King would choose to name a meal after the rapper's true identity rather than his far more recognizable stage name.
The choice to use Nelly's real name for his themed meal actually ties into Burger King's initiative at the time to ban 120 artificial ingredients from its food products. The greater promotion, called the "Keep It Real Meals," saw the burger chain making meals named after celebrities' real names, hammering home the idea that its products use authentic ingredients.
Nelly isn't the only one with a Burger King meal named after his true identity
Burger King using Nelly's real name for a themed meal to help promote a health initiative is quite an ingenious concept, and the famous rapper isn't the only celebrity who got in on the gimmick in 2021. Two other musicians were also featured in Burger King's Keep It Real Meals, with Anitta and Lil Huddy promoting the Larissa Machado Meal and the Chase Hudson Meal, respectively.
In another strange twist to Burger King's irregular marketing campaign, the chain also introduced a line of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) to go alongside the Keep It Real Meals initiative. Reportedly, the NFTs could be used to unlock rewards, including a year's supply of Whopper sandwiches, souvenirs with autographs from the participating celebrities, and a call with one of the celebrities. As for whether any prize winners actually got the chance to chat with Nelly through the promotion, that remains unclear.