Google Stops Google Home From Responding to Burger King Whopper Ad
Posted on April 12, 2017
Burger King is attempting to target Google Home devices with its new ad. The ad, called "Connected Whopper," features a Burger King employee asking, "Ok, Google, What is the Whopper burger?"
Adweek reports that Google Home devices hearing the questions on the TV will explain what the Whopper is using the first paragraph from the Wikipedia entry. Adweek also contains a video with Google Home answering the Burger King ad's question.
The Verge also says Burger King appears to have edited the Whopper burger Wikipedia entry ahead of the campaign. It has since been switched back to its original state. Wikipedia does not accept advertising and will likely frown on being manipulated by a fast food giant.
Devices like Amazon Alexa and Google Home can be triggered by television ads. Purchases have even been accidentally made in this manner. The Verge calls the ad both "genius" and "infuriating." It could be the first of many until Amazon and Google engineers come up with a way to keep the devices from responding to marketers.
Update: Google has already shut down Google Home's response to the Burger King ad. Google Home devices continue to inform users what a Whopper is but not when asked, but not when asked by the Burger King employee on television. The Verge says Google likely "registered the sound clip from ad" and used it to prevent a typical answer response from being triggered.
Burger King failed to get much Google Home response to its ad thanks to Google's quick response. However, they did get a lot of Internet and mainstream media coverage out of it.