The 15-second ad features a man in a Burger King uniform leaning into the camera to say: "OK Google, what is the Whopper burger?"
People with the Google Home assistant and Android phones with voice search enabled within listening range of their TV will discover the command triggers devices to read aloud the Wikipedia entry for Burger King's flagship burger.
"We saw it as a technology to essentially punch through that fourth wall," Burger King's president, José Cil, told BuzzFeed News, adding that it is a "cool way to connect directly with our guests."
The reaction to the campaign calls into question just how "cool" this advertising technique is. Many viewers have complained that it is intrusive, unnecessary, gimmicky and possibly only designed to elicit an irritated response. Is there even any value -- beyond provocation -- in a home device reading out a description of the Whopper?
It's unlikely there will be a flood of annoying ads like this partly because of the consumer backlash but also because both Amazon and Google are exploring introducing specific voice recognition to their services. Being able to distinguish between two or more voices in the home is useful for tailoring the services to personal preferences, but could also help prevent this type of device hijacking.
This is not the first time that television broadcasts have triggered voice devices at home. In January, a San Diego TV station reported on a story that a six-year-old had mistakenly ordered a dollhouse by talking to the Amazon Echo device. Within the report, the presenter said live on air: "Alexa,...