Today’s episode of Poetry in Marketing was inspired by a viral moment that had the internet talking… about a hamburger.

Who knew hamburgers

Were such powerful emblems

For integrity?

In this episode, I order a Snarfburger — the best burger in Denver for my money — and break down the marketing lesson hidden inside the now-infamous video of the McDonald’s CEO trying (and failing) to convincingly enjoy his own company’s food. The problem wasn’t the sandwich: it was authenticity.

When leaders talk about products the same way they do in the boardroom, repeatedly referring to a hamburger as a “product” and talking about test markets, they forget the most important rule of marketing: speak to the audience outside the window, not the one in the mirror.

Marketing works best when it’s honest, human, and grounded in real enthusiasm. Otherwise, people can smell the inauthenticity faster than a cold cheeseburger.