When you're confident with your product, you don't need words. Sometimes just showing someone eating it is enough to make a great ad. In a silent studio with no background music, actor Lee Jung-jae devours a burger without saying a word, letting out just one exclamation: "Mmm!"
The ad still resonates 12 years later. It was the centerpiece of the Quattro Cheeseburger Whopper campaign that successfully launched the jam-packed "Quattro," which has since become a core asset for Burger King.
And in 2026, Burger King returned to what it does best. They took their super successful Cube Steak Whopper from 2023 and added the bold flavor of "Quattro" peppers to create the Quattro Pepper Cube Steak Whopper! For this powerful combination of two winning concepts, we brought back Lee Jung-jae, who in the years since has become a Quattro ten-million actor – having starred in four films that each drew over 10 million moviegoers, a major milestone in Korean cinema.
#My Forever Burger King Ahjussi
We found ourselves in deep contemplation about who would be the best model to effectively announce the launch of Burger King’s new Quattro product. We needed someone who wasn't just a famous face, but someone who could tell the product story with real credibility. Naturally, our minds drifted back to the Quattro Cheeseburger Whopper ad where it all began.
Rewatching that video for inspiration, we noticed a comment someone had left two years ago:
“My forever Burger King ahjussi.”
(“Ahjussi” is a term of endearment for avuncular Korean men, often used affectionately to convey familiarity.)
Lee Jung-jae wasn't just an advertising model. He had become synonymous with Burger King in consumer memories. Beyond the typical brand-model relationship, he is now a symbol connecting the brand to consumers' cherished reminiscences.
That's why this campaign brought the "ahjussi" back to Burger King after 12 years to do the Quattro Pepper ad, reuniting consumers with their beloved icon.
#Everything Comes in Fours, Heut Heut Heut Heut
We wanted to express the keyword "Quattro" in the two main films by maximizing Lee Jung-jae's acting prowess in his return as the Quattro ten-million actor. Like a noir film, we summoned four versions of actor Lee Jung-jae, each with subtly different characters.
Twelve years ago, he silently devoured the Quattro Cheeseburger Whopper. This time, after eating the Quattro Pepper Cube Steak Whopper, he lets out a brief exclamation: “Heut heut heut heut.” (In Korean, "heut" is a playful shortening of "huchu" (pepper), but when spoken aloud, it sounds like a chuckle.)
We created a world of fours, expressing the flavor of four peppers that inspire this special reaction: quattro peppers, quattro exclamations, and quattro Lee Jung-jaes.
Lee Jung-jae portrayed each of the four peppers with different personalities in Film B: serious black, somewhat excited white, atmosphere-setting smoked, and pink that wants to be the star. Each confidently expresses the onomatopoeia "heut heut heut heut" in their own way.
When asked, "Ready to be ground up?" they respond with a realistic "Aaaaaahhhhh," and the four peppers safely land on the cube steak, adding their flavors.
What's particularly worth noting in this campaign's main films is the composition of the sizzle cut, where two products face each other against a red background. The intense color makes the texture of the pepper embedded in the meat stand out even more vividly. With witty typography added, the shot captures the new product's key feature: upgraded in both taste and style with four different peppers.
#Grip Tight, It’s Loaded
In the final scene, we get the last copy:“Grip tight, it’s loaded.” Then the spot concludes with a shot of the model staring straight ahead while lifting the product up to enhance its impact. (In Korean, “Grip tight” is “kkwak deureo,” which sounds similar to “Quattro,” a final clever nod to the campaign’s core concept.)
The Quattro Pepper Cube Steak Whopper gives you the intense flavor of four different peppers, and it's packed full of meat with both a Whopper patty and a cube steak, delivering satisfaction with every bite.
After eating the burger, you’ll find yourself letting out a chuckle without even realizing it.
Heut heut heut heut.
Jihun Yang, Business Team 18, Cheil Korea