Burger King recently dished out another roast to its competitors through their app.
The app invited users to "Burn that ad" using augmented reality (AR), essentially allowing its users to direct the app at its competitor's advertising (The Golden Arches for example) and an animation would simulate burning the ad to replace it with a Burger King ad for a free Whopper.
I thought this campaign was brilliant marketing for several reasons:
1. Clever use of their app
Businesses always wonder whether or not they should invest in a mobile app. What would be the benefits? What would we use it for? How would it translate into sales? I thought this was a clever example of the type of campaign you could execute through an app. It engaged its customers in a targeted area and found a way to translate that into direct sales, by creating an exclusive coupon offer.
Additionally, if done right, that app is collecting a huge amount of data regarding everything from demographics to geographic, which users are using the app the most, which aren't and providing possible insights as to why. Apps can be a fantastic means of data-collection for your business and an efficient means of targeting and rewarding repeat customers, or attracting and translating warm leads into loyal sales.
2. Playful competitor interaction
The campaign was also a great example of leveraging competitor activity to its advantage. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Rather than trying to fight fire with fire, so to speak, Burger King changed the playing field altogether. It embraced the fact that its competitor had dominated the traditional media in this arena, and rather than retaliating with its own billboards and posters, it turned the competition's advertising into its AR ammunition, taking the fight from the real world to the virtual. As I have discussed in a previous post, it is important to pay attention to what your competitors are doing. You just never know what you might learn and how you might transform it into your next winning marketing strategy.
3. Creating content
Pics or it didn't happen. Or in this instance... video. They made sure to capture what they were doing (staged or not) and turned it into content for their online platforms. Regardless of whether or not the app's feature was effective in the local campaign, there were now tens of thousands of views across the world, all eyes soaking in Burger King's burn. Who knows how effective the actual campaign was? Regardless, it made for a great story! And they made sure to capture it in a way that could be easily shared across the interwebs, reinforcing Burger King's brand personality as cheeky and clever. Whatever will they think of next?
4. Consistent messaging.
At the end of the promo video they tied it all together with a beautiful ribbon and slapped a metaphorical bow on top. They made sure to round off the campaign with a "After all, flame-grilled is always better." This to me, this was the final touch that made all the difference from being a good campaign to a great campaign. They used the opportunity to reinforce their USP (unique selling point) that their burgers are grilled over an open flame as compared to their competitors. They did not pass up the opportunity to reinforce their brand messaging and remind persons of what makes their product better than their competitors. Consistent brand messaging can make all the difference.
What's the point of having a great campaign if you are not going to use the opportunity to reinforce your key messaging?
This is definitely one of those campaigns I would have loved to be in the brainstorm session to see how they arrived at this marketing masterpiece. What did you think of the campaign? Love it? Hate it? Do you think there's another point I missed out? Leave a comment or shoot me a message! Instagram. Facebook. Email.
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