The Burger King Marketing Strategy

 

The Burger King Marketing Strategy

 

Burger King and McDonald's hold fond memory of special “treats” as a child for me. Though as I grew up they have fallen more into the drunken food category, I still appreciate what they offer to the table. Whereas both brands are global and known for their burgers, it’s interesting to see how one marketing strategy trumps the other, in this case, Burger King.  

Burger King launched a social media campaign for its Whopper, showing how it became moldy over time. While the initial image of a moldy burger isn’t appealing, the shock factor emphasized how Burger King doesn’t use preservatives.

It also did a clever Whopper Detour campaign in December 2018 to promote the “order ahead” feature on its app. Customers within 600 feet of a McDonald’s restaurant were given a limited offer to purchase a Whopper for a penny. The app was downloaded over a million times after the campaign launch.

While Burger King is famous for trolling on its rivals, it also had campaigns that touch the heart and raise awareness. In early 2018, it launched Burger Queen in China on March 8^th as part of International’s Women’s Day. They asked participants to rate how they feel about themselves and invited them to Burger King where they were presented the Burger Queen, which had boxes with a mirror underneath the lid. This kind of campaign not only promotes their products but also highlights raising awareness for women to feel valued and happy.

Overall, while I still go to McDonald’s from time to time for my fix of chicken nuggets, Burger King’s clever social media, and campaigns indicate that it is a king in marketing as well.