Coq Roq
Encyclopedia
Coq Roq, also typeset as COQ ROQ, and pronounced "Cock Rock", was an advertising program created in late 2004 to promote international fast food restaurant
chain
Burger King
's chicken product, BK Chicken Fries
. Created by the Miami
-based advertising firm Crispin Porter + Bogusky
(abbreviated to CP+B), the program featured a viral marketing
website, television and print campaigns and a fictional MySpace
page. The program was similar to other marketing campaigns created by CP+B for Burger King, including the Subservient Chicken, Ugoff
, and Sith Sense.
or nu metal
. There was a link to "BK Chicken Fries" snuck in below all the group's information. Little is known about the actual actors or musicians involved.
The first version of the single 'Bob Your Head' had the band singing the lyric "One Nation Under Chicken Fries", which was later changed to "One Kingdom Under Chicken Fries".
The coqroq.com website was taken down in summer of 2006, but the MySpace page is still operational. However, it has not been updated in some time.
In November 2006, Burger King released three Xbox
advergaming
titles. One of them, PocketBike Racer
, features instrumental versions of Coq Roq's songs.
Another pair of reasons for the controversy was in the name of the "band" itself and one of its songs. The word Coq, which is French
for rooster, is pronounced like "cock" in English, alluding to the slang word for penis. The fourth song from the band's EP is called Nice Box. In one of the commercials they sang about the box chicken fries were sold in, however the song is also another double entendre: the word "box" is a slang word for female genitalia.
In August 2005, CP+B and Burger King became the target of lawyers of the band Slipknot
, who alleged the mask-wearing rooster rockers were a blatant copy of the band's style. They were sued for an undisclosed amount.
CP+B and Burger King then filed counter-suit against Slipknot, stating that the Coq Roq band was fictitious, visually and musically bore little resemblance to Slipknot's style, and at best was a general parody of heavy metal
bands that wear masks or try to achieve a mask-like effect, such as Mushroomhead
, KISS
or GWAR
.
Partly mentioned in the counter-suit included the notion that Slipknot were parodies of bands themselves, further citing the specific example of Cleveland Ohio rockers Mushroomhead
, who wore near identical style masks and jumpsuits, and had been gigging several years before Slipknot even formed, let alone went mainstream.
Both suits were eventually dropped, and Burger King ended the campaign shortly after.
Fast food restaurant
A fast food restaurant, also known as a Quick Service Restaurant or QSR within the industry itself, is a specific type of restaurant characterized both by its fast food cuisine and by minimal table service...
chain
Chain store
Chain stores are retail outlets that share a brand and central management, and usually have standardized business methods and practices. These characteristics also apply to chain restaurants and some service-oriented chain businesses. In retail, dining and many service categories, chain businesses...
Burger King
Burger King
Burger King, often abbreviated as BK, is a global chain of hamburger fast food restaurants headquartered in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The company began in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida-based restaurant chain...
's chicken product, BK Chicken Fries
BK Chicken Fries
BK Chicken Fries are chicken fries sold by the international fast-food restaurant chain Burger King. According to Burger King marketing, it is one of their larger, adult oriented products made with higher quality ingredients than their "standard" menu items...
. Created by the Miami
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
-based advertising firm Crispin Porter + Bogusky
Crispin Porter + Bogusky
Crispin Porter + Bogusky , a member of publicly-traded MDC Partners, is an advertising agency that currently employs around 1,000 people. It was founded in 1965 by Sam Crispin.. Crispin then became partners with Chuck Porter and Alex Bogusky...
(abbreviated to CP+B), the program featured a viral marketing
Viral marketing
Viral marketing, viral advertising, or marketing buzz are buzzwords referring to marketing techniques that use pre-existing social networks to produce increases in brand awareness or to achieve other marketing objectives through self-replicating viral processes, analogous to the spread of viruses...
website, television and print campaigns and a fictional MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
page. The program was similar to other marketing campaigns created by CP+B for Burger King, including the Subservient Chicken, Ugoff
Ugoff
Ugoff is a fictional character, played by actor Daniel Raymont, in a 2004 ad campaign for Burger King directed by Roman Coppola with music composed by Devo singer Mark Mothersbaugh. It was to promote the new "Fire-Grilled Salads" and the paper "Salad Pouch" which was used to keep the chicken and...
, and Sith Sense.
History
Coq Roq was a fictional "rooster metal" group (albeit composed of various real-life musicians) with its own website and associated content. The band's musical "style" was classified as punk-sounding rock n' roll, thrashThrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
or nu metal
Nu metal
Nu metal is a subgenre of heavy metal. It is a fusion genre which combines elements of heavy metal with other genres, including grunge and hip hop...
. There was a link to "BK Chicken Fries" snuck in below all the group's information. Little is known about the actual actors or musicians involved.
The first version of the single 'Bob Your Head' had the band singing the lyric "One Nation Under Chicken Fries", which was later changed to "One Kingdom Under Chicken Fries".
The coqroq.com website was taken down in summer of 2006, but the MySpace page is still operational. However, it has not been updated in some time.
In November 2006, Burger King released three Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
advergaming
Advergaming
Advergaming is the practice of using video games to advertise a product, organization or viewpoint. The term "advergames" was coined in January 2000 by Anthony Giallourakis, and later mentioned by Wireds "Jargon Watch" column in 2001...
titles. One of them, PocketBike Racer
PocketBike Racer
Pocketbike Racer is an advergaming title from Burger King for the Xbox and Xbox 360 video game consoles. On November 19, 2006, Burger King started selling it for an additional $3.99 USD with any value meal...
, features instrumental versions of Coq Roq's songs.
Controversies
The Coq Roq ads again generated controversy, in this instance because of complaints over the double entendres and sexual innuendo on the website, which forced BK to request content be changed.Another pair of reasons for the controversy was in the name of the "band" itself and one of its songs. The word Coq, which is French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
for rooster, is pronounced like "cock" in English, alluding to the slang word for penis. The fourth song from the band's EP is called Nice Box. In one of the commercials they sang about the box chicken fries were sold in, however the song is also another double entendre: the word "box" is a slang word for female genitalia.
In August 2005, CP+B and Burger King became the target of lawyers of the band Slipknot
Slipknot (band)
Slipknot is an American heavy metal band from Des Moines, Iowa. Formed in 1995, the group was founded by percussionist Shawn Crahan and bassist Paul Gray...
, who alleged the mask-wearing rooster rockers were a blatant copy of the band's style. They were sued for an undisclosed amount.
CP+B and Burger King then filed counter-suit against Slipknot, stating that the Coq Roq band was fictitious, visually and musically bore little resemblance to Slipknot's style, and at best was a general parody of heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
bands that wear masks or try to achieve a mask-like effect, such as Mushroomhead
Mushroomhead
Mushroomhead is an American industrial metal band from Cleveland, Ohio. Formed in 1993 in Cleveland Warehouse District, the band's music can be described as a synthesis of alternative music, heavy metal, and electro-industrial...
, KISS
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
or GWAR
GWAR
Gwar is a satirical heavy metal band formed in Richmond, Virginia, United States, in 1984. The band is best known for its elaborate science fiction/horror film inspired costumes, obscene lyrics and graphic stage performances, which feature humorous enactments of politically and morally taboo...
.
Partly mentioned in the counter-suit included the notion that Slipknot were parodies of bands themselves, further citing the specific example of Cleveland Ohio rockers Mushroomhead
Mushroomhead
Mushroomhead is an American industrial metal band from Cleveland, Ohio. Formed in 1993 in Cleveland Warehouse District, the band's music can be described as a synthesis of alternative music, heavy metal, and electro-industrial...
, who wore near identical style masks and jumpsuits, and had been gigging several years before Slipknot even formed, let alone went mainstream.
Both suits were eventually dropped, and Burger King ended the campaign shortly after.
Members
- Fowl Mouth: vocals
- The Talisman: lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
- Kabuki: rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
- Free Range: bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Sub-Sonic: drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
- Firebird: fire breatherFire breathingFire breathing is the act of creating a fireball by breathing a fine mist of fuel over an open flame. Proper technique and the correct fuel create the illusion of danger to enhance the novelty of fire breathing, while reducing the risk to health and safety...
See also
- Burger King AdvertisingBurger King advertisingInternational fast food chain Burger King has employed varied advertising programs, both successful and unsuccessful, since its foundation in 1954. During the 1970s, output included a memorable jingle, the inspiration for its current mascot the Burger King and several well-known and parodied...
- Burger King ProductsBurger King productsWhen the predecessor of international fast food restaurant chain Burger King first opened in 1953, its menu predominantly consisted of hamburgers, french fries, soft drinks, milkshakes, and desserts...
- Subservient Chicken
- UgoffUgoffUgoff is a fictional character, played by actor Daniel Raymont, in a 2004 ad campaign for Burger King directed by Roman Coppola with music composed by Devo singer Mark Mothersbaugh. It was to promote the new "Fire-Grilled Salads" and the paper "Salad Pouch" which was used to keep the chicken and...