An old Burger King 'controversial' advertisement in 2008 became viral again in the wake of Brussels attacks.
The image of Burger King's fries depicting a dirty finger has been widely shared on social media after two separate explosions most recently at Brussels-Zaventem Airport and Maelbeek metro station, which left 31 people dead and 260 wounded, according to reports from Reuters.
Brussels went into lockdown on Tuesday after explosions according to NBC News in what appears to be a coordinated terrorist attack on the city's transportation system. As the country's transportation system remains shutdown, Belgium is under an elevated threat level as residents are being told to stay indoors.
The concept of Burger King's viral ad was originally created by New Zealand firm Young & Rubicam to market a Burger King restaurant that was the last fast-food outlet before a highway toll according to Mashable.
The middle finger sentiment was meant to symbolize motorists' anger over having to pay the toll. In the same way, Burger King resurfaced its ad to denounce the Brussels explosions at the airport and the subway. The creators of this ad were also proud to be part of any efforts to end violence and bring about peace.
The original ad recommends taking a break at the Burger King in Dairy Flat, the very last fast food restaurant before a toll booth on the highway.
For motorists infuriated by the $2 charge for passing through the tolls, Burger King offered to take $2 off purchases over $10. It also suggested motorists show the ad when they stopped at the toll booth in an act of defiance.
Fries are a national symbol in Belgium, which could be the reason why Burger King ad has re-emerged and attracted social media users as well as the online media because of its firm stand to condemn the Brussels attacks as reported by Business Insider.
