Here is Why Burger King Wants You to Order From McDonald's

Business Standard Here is why Burger King wants you to order from McDonald's

Burger King has often found itself in a David and Goliath contest with its unconventional but creative content taking pot shots at its mammoth rival.

On Monday, Burger King UK posted a message on Twitter that in marketing terms appeared to scream the unthinkable in its headline: “Order from McDonald’s.”

However, the Twitterverse soon responded with the desired applause. They felt that the multinational fast food chain simply oozed class as it urged consumers to spend and bail out restaurants employing thousands of people.

Burger King has often found itself in a David and Goliath contest with its unconventional but creative content taking pot shots at its mammoth rival. But with its new post, it has gone beyond mischievous banter and spoken like a king amid a pandemic that has forced people to stay indoors and battered the restaurant business worldwide.

Ayan Banik, vice-president (Planning) at Grey Group, says Burger King has been known for its guerrilla marketing, which is characterised by its maverick promotional tactics.

In December 2018, it pulled a memorable stunt with a campaign called “Whooper Detour”. It tapped mobile geo-fencing to lure customers away from McDonald’s so that if they were within 600 m of an outlet, they would get a notification offering its signature sandwich, Whooper, for one cent. Once the customer placed an order, she would be directed to the nearest Burger King store.

Five years ago, it floated a print ad in the form of an open letter to McDonald’s that sought to bury the hatchet and proposed to combine the two chains’ favourites, Big Mac and Whooper, and create a new product called McWhopper to Peace Day. McDonald’s wasn’t lovin it, and snubbed the idea.