If you’re a fan of fast food, you’ll be well aware that Burger King and McDonald’s have somewhat of a rivalry.
Burger King and McDonald’s started in the franchise food business in 1954 and 1955, respectively. McDonald’s is more substantial than their rival, with over 36,000 restaurants globally. In comparison, Burger King’ only’ have 13,000.
The Whopper (BK) and Big Mac (McDonald’s) are the two best-selling burgers of all time. Burger King boasts 2.1 billion whopper sales per year, though it is challenging to find verification for that figure. McDonald’s suggests we munch through a more modest 550 million Big Macs a year.
Back in September, Burger King launched a campaign called a ‘Day Without Whopper’ they stopped selling their top-selling ‘Whopper’ burger for a day in Argentina to increase sales of McDonald’s Big Mac burgers.
“But why?” I hear you ask. Well, my friend, carry on reading.
The reason behind the BK campaign was to support McDonald’s with a charitable fundraising campaign. For one day, the proceeds from every Big Mac sold were donated to Children with Cancer.
Burger King has revealed that not only did it remove Whoppers from the menu in all of its Argentine restaurants but Whopper-less customers were actively encouraged to seek out a nearby McDonald’s and buy a Big Mac instead. The Burger King mascot even visited the Golden Arches to give a Big Mac a try while also doing his bit for charity.
In response to this, BK has won the internet and hearts of people for the kind gesture.
Delving deeper into some of the more subtle elements of BK’s campaign, there are some subtle boasts there. Firstly, they are promoting the idea that not selling Whoppers will make a big difference to the campaign. The Whopper is such a popular burger that not selling them for 24-hours is a big deal. Burger King is demonstrating that they are big players in the fast-food game.
The second suggestion is that many people would rather have a Whopper, but are being encouraged to ‘settle’ for a Big Mac — a clearly inferior product.
When you consider that they are promoting their brand, hinting that their product is superior, being seen as the good guys, AND stealing their biggest rival’s thunder. It’s a pretty good day in the marketing department really isn’t it?
Though this happened in Argentina, #DayWithoutWhopper was trending all over the world. This is not the first time that competitors have joined hands to support each other’s cause. The marketing archives are full of piggyback marketing examples like these, with a recent one being Uber Eats taking a stand for Zomato over the “Boycott Zomato” campaign.
There is a genius marketing strategy that sits behind this good deed. Maybe we’re opening up a can of worms but have Burger King consciously (or subconsciously) taken the limelight from McDonald’s’ campaign to make themselves look like the heroes? Will this applause add value to their brand and win over McDonald’s’ customers?
Kiran Khalap, Co-founder & Managing Director of Chlorophyll, applauded Marcelo Pascoa, Global Marketing Head of Burger King for the warm step. “He is one of the bravest marketers on the planet. I guess this kind of hard-hitting marketing tactics is encouraged by him. A day’s loss of revenue is worth it for gaining the admiration of millions.”
It is both a kind gesture as well as brilliant ‘timing marketing’. It also takes some courage for a brand to piggyback on its competition’s initiative. When executed well, ‘Moment marketing’ exercises such as this can go a long way in winning hearts, not to mention the feel-good factor of it all.
The real winner is charity, but in the PR battle, has Burger King overshadowed McDonald’s initial idea?
Ignacia Ferioli from David Buenos Aires, the agency who came up with the Burger King campaign said, “born from our most sincere kindness” and “for one time only, the less they (Burger King) sold, the better.”
Burger King does its own charity event every July. This year it helped Atomic Lab that prints 3D prosthetic arms for disabled children. Since ‘McHappy Day’ is four months later, the marketing agency in charge of the campaign thought it was an excellent opportunity to let differences aside and help their competitors. With our cynical hat on, we wonder if this would be the case if their events were closer together…
It’s important to acknowledge that both companies were doing good and that both had marketing machinations behind their campaigns. This campaign has made everyone aware of :
Burger King & its top-selling burger & how great they are for joining forces with their competitor
McDonald’s & its top-selling burger & how great they are for accepting BK’s efforts and how great they are as an individual company for raising money and awareness of Children with Cancer
The ‘Children with Cancer’ charity when people may not have heard of it before.
Piggyback marketing has been used time and time again and this is a classic example of Burger King doing precisely that. It’s not illegal, so no harm is done.
Whoppers — and all Burger King burgers, for that matter — stand out compared to other chains given the fact that they're flame-grilled, giving their burgers a distinct smoky flavor.
A telling sign of Burger King's decline is the steady decrease in sales. A major issue contributing to this slide is inconsistency in product quality and customer service. Customers expect the same taste and quality in their favorite Whopper, whether they're in New York or New Delhi.
The Impossible Whopper patty is 0% beef. It is made without any ingredients from animal sources but is still cooked on the same broiler that makes the beef Whopper patties. If you would like a non-broiler version of the Impossible Whopper, then our team members will microwave the patty and remove mayo from the build.
Average profitability per restaurant increased nearly 50 percent in 2023, moving from $140,000 to more than $205,000. Burger King's leadership attributed these improvements to multiple factors, starting with operations, which fueled up to half of the annual comp growth, according to RBI CEO Josh Kobza.
Dry-aged beef has been described as beefy or nutty, while beef that has been wet aged can be described as slightly metallic or sour. This is one of the main reasons why many people who are used to dry-aged beef from a local butcher balk at the flavor of meat purchased from a grocery store.
All of the BK burgers are made from the same 100% ground beef as everyone else uses. Lettuce, onions, tomatoes, pickles, mayo, and ketchup, plus a sesame seed bun…. cheese if you want it.
Restaurant owners blamed the loss of sales during the pandemic and the slow recovery post-pandemic. Customers were also faced with a 21% price increase in 2022, which didn't help amidst a large number of complaints and issues burger fans already faced.
The Top 10 Fast-Food Restaurants by Sales in America
McDonald's: $37 billion in system-wide U.S. sales. Starbucks: $13 billion in system-wide U.S. sales. Subway: $10.8 billion in system-wide U.S. sales. Burger King: $10 billion in system-wide U.S. sales.
Burger King has seen three of its large-scale franchise partners declare bankruptcy this year. Both Meridian Restaurants Unlimited, which operated 115 Burger Kings, and Toms King, which had 90 locations, filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the first quarter.
Here are the facts: All of our burger patties in the U.S. are always made with 100% USDA-inspected beef. That's the only ingredient: 100% real beef. Our patties contain no preservatives or fillers, and the only thing we ever add is a touch of salt and pepper when the patties are sizzling hot on the grill.
Burger King started selling its Impossible Whopper — featuring a plant-based burger made by Impossible Foods — in 2019. Starbucks launched an Impossible sausage sandwich in 2020. McDonald's debuted its McPlant burger — developed with Beyond Meat — in the United Kingdom in 2021.
Burger King has a rule, and it's that “you rule.” Employees of the fast food chain are required to offer every customer a crown — regardless of age or what is ordered. They also have to say, “You rule,” according to Bloomberg.
Restaurant Brands International Inc. will acquire “all of the issued and outstanding shares” of Carrols Restaurant Group Inc. for $9.55 per share. Carrols currently operates more than 1,000 Burger King restaurants and 60 Popeyes locations. The deal is slated to be completed by the second quarter of 2024.
Burger King has prioritized authenticity and transparency with their burgers from the beginning. According to their website, their patties are 100% beef and have been flame-grilled since they first opened in 1954. Their no-nonsense mentality also includes avoiding additives like fillers and preservatives.
Burger King has prioritized authenticity and transparency with their burgers from the beginning. According to their website, their patties are 100% beef and have been flame-grilled since they first opened in 1954. Their no-nonsense mentality also includes avoiding additives like fillers and preservatives.
Burger King banned 120 artificial ingredients from its Whopper sandwiches in the U.S in 2020, such as colors, flavors, and preservatives. Today's society has a clear understanding of what they eat. Advertisem*nts feature Whopper Burgers with no artificial ingredients added.
For its new brand identity, warmer colors were chosen to highlight Burger King's vibrant, fresh ingredients and their focus on natural food. These colors also bring the brand's trademark flame-grilling method to life visually.
Introduction: My name is Margart Wisoky, I am a gorgeous, shiny, successful, beautiful, adventurous, excited, pleasant person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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