Behind Burger King’s Epic Trolling of McDonalds With One-Cent Whopper Deal
Burger King’s Global Chief Marketing Officer Fernando Machado and Head of Global Marketing Marcelo Pascoe took to the stage at Cannes Lions this afternoon with an entertaining presentation on how the brand continues to reinvent itself through design, technology and product innovation.
One of the campaigns predicted to do well this week is Burger King’s “Whopper Detour” created by FCB New York.
In the campaign, the burger chain pushed people to download its app (or use it) by offering a one-cent Whopper. The only catch was that customers had to place the order on the app while they were inside or nearby a McDonald’s. The app then directed them to the nearest Burger King to redeem the offer.
The story went nuts on the news networks generating 3.5 billion impressions.
The campaign saw the Burger King app go from number 686 to number one in 48 hours with a total of 1.5 million downloads in nine days.
Mobile sales tripled during the promotion and have doubled ever since. Burger King saw the highest number of store visits in four years.
Marcelo Pascoe, Burger King’s head of global marketing, explained that mobile order and pay is now offered by almost all fast food restaurants so the problem they faced was standing out and driving preference.
He said that you could look at the campaign and think that the fact that they were giving away Whoppers for one cent was the driving success behind the campaign. But it wasn’t.
Pascoe explained that they had trialled other campaigns where they gave the Whopper away for free if they download the app. But no one did. The success lay in the fun of it.
Together with Burger King’s global CMO Fernando Machado, Pascoe shared their five final tips for marketers to survive what they called the “Adpocalypse”: the end of traditional advertising.
5 final tips to survive
- Design your way out. Look at the things that you already have, the things that don’t cost anything because you already have them. Good design isn’t more expensive than bad design, it’s just better.
- Doing is better than saying. We spend a lot of time talking but experience has the power of changing a random consumer into a loyal fan. You might not remember watching a zombie film but if that zombie is in the real world and bites your head off, you’ll remember it!
- There are new monsters, new weapons. Technology is not the enemy. It’s what makes the impossible possible.
- Love your product. If you don’t love your product, change the fucking product. Be the change that you want to see around you.
- Get out! If you stay in the same place long enough, the zombies will find you. If we spent half the time that we spent whining about how difficult our jobs are and put this energy into new ideas that get us excited, we’d be a lot better off!
Latest News
Quantcast’s Hannah Cooper On The Role Of Emotion In Leadership
Currently NSW group head, agency sales at customer insights and measurement company Quantcast, Hannah Cooper knows a thing or two about leadership in the often-complex digital marketing space. But despite working in the world of data and analytics, it’s the powerful tool of emotion Cooper most relies on. Even with her senior role at Quantcast, […]
Acast Launches New Marketplace For Advertisers
Acast has today announced the launch of Acast Marketplace, the new home of podcast buying globally and in Australia. Acast Marketplace gives advertisers both direct and automated access to the world’s best podcasts, the most talented creators, and the most engaged listeners across any and every podcast platform. Acast invented dynamic ad insertion in podcasts […]
Dentsu’s Tokyo HQ Goes Into Lockdown After Confirmed Coronavirus Case
Dentsu's Tokyo office shuts over coronavirus fears. Equally, Seven execs now shitting themselves about the Olympics.
Mullets, Moustaches, Flying Boats And Peter Allen: Qantas’ New Safety Video Is The Ultimate Throwback
What happens when a slightly stuffy, conservative brand plays for laughs? Learn the lessons in this new Qantas spot.
Indie Agency This Is Flow Snares Ticketek’s Matt Papasavva As Digital Lead
Ever tried to blag free tickets from Ticketek's Matt Papasavva? Well, that little ruse has come to a sorry end today.
Revealed: The Cost Of An ‘Ad-Free’ Internet
The cost of an 'ad-free' internet revealed here! And not to mention Mr Zuckerberg having to flip burgers at Macca's.
KFC Turns Receipts, Menus, Bags & Posters Into Napkins To Soak Up That Greasy Bird
There's so many reasons not to eat KFC - primarily to do with health - but a fistful of grease is no longer one of them.
Seven Threatens To Boycott Content Quota Obligations
James Warburton proving obstreperous over content quotas. While B&T not even sure that obstreperous is a word.
Nine’s Revenues Take A Hit As TV, Radio & Domain Ad Spends Weigh On Business
B&T's elite scribes have chopped, diced & sautéed Nine's half-yearlies. So, get set for a bad dose of indigestion here.
Advertisers Go Digital As OOH Grows 1.5%
B&T's quite certain that Sydney's appalling gridlocked traffic congestion is a boon for the outdoor operators.
BMF Snares 72andSunny’s Pia Chaudhuri As Group Creative Director
Pia Chaudhuri jumps ship to B&T's Agency Of The Year. Although, we admit, that had little do with the ship jumping.
Spark Foundry Snares Silversea Cruises’ & My Muscle Chef’s Media
Spark Foundry staff forced down the local Chemist Warehouse for face masks after snaring Silversea Cruises' media.
OMD Crowned The Globe’s Top Performing Media Agency For 2019
Have those rascals at OMD poached some of your clients recently? Well, hate them even more on this news.
Malicious Bot Scheme Costs Industry $15B: IAS
More proof Arnie's 'Terminator' films should be re-classified as "factual documentary" comes this insidious bot news
Why Adland’s “Always On” Culture Is Killing Creativity & Creating Burnout
The can of worms that is agency burnout rears its ugly head. So do industry clichés, judging by that previous sentence.
Mindshare Melbourne Raises $10,000 For Bushfire Communities With UnLtd
It's a huge "well done" to Mindshare & UnLtd for this top effort. And that's despite the slightly befuddling lead image.
75% Of Media Buyers Embracing Podcasts
Some 75% of media buyers embracing podcasts. But that's not to infer the other 25% have taken up the caber toss.
Facebook And The ICC Unveil #BreakingBoundaries Video Series
Facebook unveils International Cricket Council TVC that doesn't feature Donald Trump mangling Indian players' names.
TV Weatherman Hilariously Turns On Mask Filter Generator During Live Cross
Weather reporters aren’t just a rich vein of incisive meteorological news, but also a rich vein of daft B&T stories.
Domino’s Resurrects ‘Cheers’ (And Norm) In Nostalgic New Spot
In further evidence creative departments are being run by Gen Xers who've run out of ideas comes this Cheers reboot.
The Case Against B2B Logic (Or How Insights Reduce Boring)
Have your creative ideas been likened to celery? Well, immediately liven things up with this hummus dip-like read
eCommerce Takes The Lead: 43% Of Aussies Will Spend More Online Than In-Store This Year
The online retail sector turned over $17 billion last year, compared with $15.9 billion in 2018. Supporting this upward trend, new research reveals consumer confidence in the eCommerce space – with nearly half of Aussie shoppers admitting they will shop more online in the next 12 months than in brick-and-mortar stores. Leading parcel delivery service CouriersPlease (CP) […]
“The AFL Needs Some Competitive Tension”: Amazon Heats Up Broadcast Deal Talks
Amazon eyes AFL move, as Jeff Bezos eyes growing a large mullet before punting the Sherrin through the sticks.
Kellogg ANZ Awarded Employer of Choice for Gender Equality
Kellogg ANZ awarded gender equality award despite Sam Toucan, Frosty The Tiger and Coco The Monkey all being blokes.
Aimee Buchanan, Sue Squillace & Jimmy Hyett Join MFA Board, Peter Horgan Re-Appointed Chair
A who's who of adland has joined the MFA Board. Although B&T has named them in the photo in case you're asking "who?"
Facebook And Instagram Put The Spotlight On Regional Australia As Part Of Mardi Gras Campaign
We're celebrating Mardi Gras in the B&T office this week with our own Cher marathon! But only till we kill one another.
Monday TV Wrap: Media Watch And Q+A Deliver The ABC Big Numbers
ABC's Monday night of current affairs proves viewers don't simply want to watch bogan strangers try & hump each other.
Domain Highlights Australia’s In-Demand Suburbs In New Campaign
Do you like to bore people at parties by regaling stories of Sydney property prices? Find new levels of tedium here.
SA Tourism Unveils Stunning Ad Showing Kangaroo Island Post-Bushfires
South Australian Tourism unveils stunning post-bushfire campaign mercifully post-Old Mates, too.
Nike Releases Simple But Touching Kobe Bryant Tribute
Nike's tribute to Kobe Bryant could make you a little teary. Unless, of course, you're the ruthless, cold-hearted type.
