Eddie Rocket’s goes into space

American-style diner chain Eddie Rocket’s is spending €250,000 on a marketing campaign that includes an invitation to its social media fans to pick between two alternative endings to a television advertisement.

The Irish company’s first TV ad in five years, which will go on air this month, features an astronaut having a close encounter with an “out of this world” hamburger floating through space.

Eddie Rocket's customers can vote for the ending they prefer after viewing them on its Facebook page, with the competition prize of a €2,000 trip "to anywhere on Earth" dangled as an incentive.

Eddie Rocket’s “is also in the entertainment business”, claims Seán Hynes from the advertising agency Bonfire, which created the campaign.

“So it was crucial that the ads reflected this.”

Elsewhere in the world of burger marketing, this week saw the launch of the McDonald's Football Association of Ireland (FAI) Future Football programme for 2014. Under the child-targeting scheme, the fast food behemoth supports "grassroots" football clubs and coaching workshops.

McDonald’s is also currently running an out-of-home advertising campaign using the line “taste is a powerful thing”.