Wine pairings. Beer pairings. Soft drink pairings?

Have a look at this picture captured at a Burger King soft drink dispenser.

In an age of wine pairings, beer pairings, and even coffee pairings, do we really think this soft-drink pairing chart will persuade many customers which soft drink to pair with their 1200-calorie sandwich? Do we think the King really spent hours trying to figure out which soda fully complemented your paper-lined, vinyl tray dining experience?

Probably not, but this sticker got a reaction from me, and in a world where the consumer has been conditioned to ignore thousands of marketing messages a day, that’s a good thing.

What's more, this pairing chart brought the irrelevant tone and spirit of the advertising into the store in a natural way. A more obvious approach, to instead say Coke® is Refreshing with a Whopper®, would appear corporate and patronizing. We hand it to Burger King for small details that make a difference.

- Contributed by Tony Fuller