Pokemon Promotion a P.R. Nightmare Before Christmas

Speaking of burgers and toys, Burger King learned the hard way with its Pokemon campaign that when you disappoint kids by running out of toys, it can be a public relations nightmare even if the promotion generates blockbuster sales.

Burger King President Paul Clayton has apologized for the shortages in two full-page newspaper advertisements, the most recent published Dec. 10. “I want to thank you for you patience,” Clayton wrote.

Carlsbad restaurant industry consultant Hal Sieling said such a mea culpa is largely unheard of, except in instances of a disastrous event.

“The fact that they ran an ad, someone must have felt that they had a significant P.R. problem,” Sieling said. “It may be an effective way to communicate with people and say, ‘Hey, we made a mistake.’ ”

Burger King spokeswoman Kim Miller confirmed that this is the first time the chain has published an apology letter to customers in relation to a promotion.

The chain’s two-month campaign finally ends next week and Burger King seems to have solved the chronic toy shortages. The company’s toy shipments began getting to more populated markets more regularly. Burger King also provided a sheet of collectible Pokemon cards when a restaurant ran out of merchandise.