SpongeBob SquarePants may live under the sea, but this holiday season he’s surfacing in a place Americans know well: Burger King. In celebration of The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants, the brand rolled out a limited-time menu—and a playful, bubble-filled :30 spot designed to bring Bikini Bottom to life for fans of all ages.
Here’s what iSpot’s Creative Assessment platform revealed on actual viewer response to the :30 spot.
The Details:
- Analysis and emotional profiling of over 640 individual viewer comments on “Tasty Treasure Awaits” :30 reflects a strong level of positive sentiment across viewers:
- The qualitative themes were overwhelmingly favorable (nostalgia, family appeal, brand fit) and the multi-generational appeal was evident. Scenes of kids and parents enjoying the meals together created an emotional connection.
- Moreover, viewers found a natural fit between Krusty Krab/Krabby Patty and Burger King, with the movie tie-in feeling more synergistic than forced.
- The high production value and meal execution (pineapple boxes, square buns, themed packaging) also saw positive reactions, and intent language was prevalent in responses.
- The qualitative themes were overwhelmingly favorable (nostalgia, family appeal, brand fit) and the multi-generational appeal was evident. Scenes of kids and parents enjoying the meals together created an emotional connection.
Sample comments on the “Tasty Treasure Awaits” :30
“The SpongeBob Burger King ad gives me nostalgia because it reminds me of being younger and watching SpongeBob all the time. Hearing the familiar characters, seeing the bright colors, and recognizing the style of the old show brings back memories of simpler, fun moments. The ad feels like a throwback to childhood, when everything was exciting and silly in the best way. It connects the food with those happy memories, making the whole commercial feel comforting and familiar.”
Female 16-20
“I liked it. I like Burger King. Honestly, I think Burger King has some of the best food when it comes to that kind of fast food and who doesn’t like SpongeBob? I think it’ll do good for the business. It’ll bring in a lot of children and families.”
Male 36-49
“I think the ad was definitely eye-catching for a family, especially children because of the cartoon characters. Incorporating SpongeBob and making it seem as though the burgers were crabby patties, was genius.”
Female 36-49
“SpongeBob ad, yay! I’ve always been slightly partial to Burger King, but regardless, I love this ad! It’s got the whimsy I like seeing when it comes to SpongeBob. And it’s a collab with SpongeBob for the new movie, so that’s already cool.”
Male 16-20
“The ad featured Burger King and also the SpongeBob movie. It was very distinctive, colorful, and fun. It was geared toward family, both kids and adults, and combined food with entertainment, which is a very easy win in my book.”
Female 21-35
“I think that the ad is very efficient and effective for getting the attention for both Burger King and for the SpongeBob movie. It leaves me wondering if the food being advertised tastes any different because of the food being different colors? It doesn’t let people know if it’s different or not from just the regular food. As far as advertising for the movie, it was a very useful thing cause was not aware that there was a movie even if I have tried the food prior to watching this ad.”
Male 21-35
“I didn’t know there was a new SpongeBob movie coming out, but it’s always fun when fast food places team up with the new movies or trends. I used to watch SpongeBob growing up and I always wondered how a Krabby Patty tasted. Well now, I have the chance! I think the line the boy had was a little cheesy. It didn’t really affect the way I felt after the ad.”
Female 21-35
“I love this ad. It brings back childhood memories and gives children a happy and delicious meal as kids love SpongeBob and as a kid, I always wanted to try a Krabby Patty so I think people will love it.”
Female 16-20
“I love when a company integrates with a cartoon or movie! Especially when they update menu items to go with it!”
Male 36-49
- As a point of reference we compared this :30 ad to a :30 Olipop creative also a collaboration with the upcoming movie, as well as a :30 spot from Wendy’s 2024 “Krabby Patty Kollab” campaign. Here, the All Industry norms were used to compare across categories:
- Burger King’s “Tasty Treasure Awaits” :30 creative enjoyed similar positive response to the current Olipop spot, but trailed a very strong positive reaction to Wendy’s ‘Kollab’ (the latter perhaps benefiting from an earlier launch). Wendy’s also sparked notably higher professed intent after a single view (80% Top 2 Box) vs 65% of Burger King ad viewers (this compares to an All-Industry norm of 47% and a QSR norm of 65%).
- Consumer ratings of the Single Best Thing about each ad reveal that Wendy’s managed a more balanced execution between the SpongeBob characters and the product itself, with Information and Change significantly higher as well. This reflects more visual and audio product details in this ad which boosted intent. Breakthrough was also higher with opening product visual close-ups.
- Burger King’s “Tasty Treasure Awaits” :30 creative enjoyed similar positive response to the current Olipop spot, but trailed a very strong positive reaction to Wendy’s ‘Kollab’ (the latter perhaps benefiting from an earlier launch). Wendy’s also sparked notably higher professed intent after a single view (80% Top 2 Box) vs 65% of Burger King ad viewers (this compares to an All-Industry norm of 47% and a QSR norm of 65%).
Burger King: “Tasty Treasure Awaits”
Wendy’s: “Welcome Aboard”
- All three ads confirmed the multi-generational and cross-ethnicity appeal of the SpongeBob franchise, but response was simply stronger for the Wendy’s spot:
- Younger viewers 16-20 and women were the strongest segments for “Tasty Treasure Awaits.”
- iSpot Media Measurement reports limited support behind the new “Tasty Treasure Awaits” on streaming over the two weeks ending 12/4/25:
- Since launch on 12/1/25, linear TV Impression delivery continued to trail several other BK “You Rule” creatives.
- Within the QSR category, the best-received ads over the past 90 days ending 12/5/25 saw doughnuts engage American viewers quite easily, with a Popeye’s 6-pc Wing offer and Dunkin’s $6 Meal Deal also achieving high praise:
- Each of the competitive spots drove consumer intent at above-norm levels.
Ineffective creative, even if delivered to the right audience, results in missed opportunity and performance shortfalls. Great creative delivered poorly also results in failed campaigns.
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Creative Agency: OKRP