Burger King, the definitive challenger brand always trying to gain ground against megarival McDonald's, has taken a notable amount of glee recently in trolling the Golden Arches.
(For your convenience, I recapped some of BK's most memorable campaigns in recent years that needled McDonald's.)
But recently the chain had a campaign that felt, to me at least, like it crossed the line of good-spirited fun and went into the realm of callousness. Called "Scary Places," the campaign from MullenLowe U.S. featured ominous images of competitors locations that had long been abandoned. The copy noted that each place "never flame grilled."
Setting aside the fact that this felt like classic awards bait (the campaign, offering free Whoppers when you check in at one of the "scary" abandoned fast-food locations, was only active in five cities, and there was little sign it was actively promoted), the whole thing just felt off. Was BK making fun of competitors? Or was it making light of struggles in cities that were being hammered economically long before the pandemic?
Burger King Global CMO Fernando Machado defended the campaign as just a fun seasonal stunt for Halloween, but it still left a bad taste in my mouth.
Luckily we didn't have to wait long to see BK strike a different note.
With its newest ad, out of France and the U.K. via agency Buzzman, Burger King boldly urges fans to order from McDonald's—and all its rivals. The reason? A new round of lockdowns is sure to put a hurt on many restaurants, and their employees could use all the financial support they can get.
It's a wonderful message and one that seems to have resonated far wider and more earnestly than most of its trolling efforts.
Does this mean the burger wars are over? Incredibly doubtful. But the occasional armistice is still nice, especially at a time when we're already plenty divided in our world.
What good examples have you seen of brands supporting their competitors during these tough times? Let me know at the email below or https://twitter.com/grinerat @Griner on Twitter.
David Griner
Creative and Innovation Editor, Adweek
David.Griner@Adweek.com
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