The Day Burger King Outhought McDonald’s and Shot to #1

Hey gang - I needed a little help tonight, so I’m rerunning one of my all-time favorites. This one’s pure fun and a good reminder that clever always wins over big.

Back in 2018, Burger King had a big problem.

How could they compete with a competitor who was better known, better funded, and more popular? (Ever face a similar issue? Most entrepreneurs have.)

McDonald’s had twice as many locations as Burger King. More locations meant more convenience. And in the fast-food game, convenience is everything.

So how do you compete with a giant like that?

Well, Burger King did, pulling off a stunt so clever, it had people driving to McDonald’s… to order a Whopper!

They called it the “Burger King Detour.” It was genius.

Here’s what they did:

The Stunt

The idea was deceptively simple: Offer a Whopper for just 1 cent to anyone within 600 feet of a McDonald’s.

But there was a catch. To unlock the deal, customers had to use the Burger King app.

Think about what this meant.

People drove to McDonald’s, parked right by the golden arches, and fired up the BK app to claim their Whopper.

It was a perfect ambush. McDonald’s advantage—thousands of prime locations—was suddenly being used against them.

But consider what it took to pull off a stunt like that.

Burger King had to geotarget every single McDonald’s in the country. They also had to ensure their app could handle a flood of traffic. They also had to be able to make that many Whoppers.

It took millions of dollars, months of planning, and no little bit of bold action.

That Crazy Event

On December 4, 2018, BK went for it.

And people went crazy.

Yep, they ordered their Whopper while sitting in a McDonald’s parking lot.

People who had never used the BK app before were now downloading it just to get their 1-cent Whopper.

Social media went crazy. News outlets covered the chaos.

A Whopper of a Win

In nine days, more than 1.5 million people downloaded the BK app, skyrocketing it from #686 to #1 in the App Store.

Not only that, but they had 50 million views on Twitter and 3.3 billion media impressions

And awards? They cleaned up there too, winning the Grand Clio at the Clio Awards

But the win was more than that. Burger King didn’t just sell burgers that day. They sold an attitude: Clever, irreverent, fearless.

But, oh yeah, they also sold a heck of a lot of burgers too.

The Takeaway

Remember, you don’t keep having to do the same ‘ol, same ‘ol. That’s what Burger King learned. The question is, what clever, creative move can you make that will get you some attention?

What’s your Whopper Detour?

Steal This Strategy!

📝 Article - Burger King’s “Campaign of the Year” MarketingDive looks at how BK did it and why it was so effective

🎥 Video - Burger King’s Whopper Detour Ad

📖 Book - Made to Stick by Chip Heath & Dan Heath Discover why some ideas thrive and others die—and how to make your message unforgettable.

📖 Book - Contagious: How to Build Word of Mouth in the Digital Age by Jonah Berger Discover how bold ideas go viral.

About Steve

Steve Strauss is the best-selling author of The Small Business Bible (and 17 other books), Inc.’s small business columnist, a lawyer (non-practicing), and an entrepreneur. He sold his last venture, TheSelfEmployed.com to Mark Cuban & Zen Business. Need a clever email newsletter that your customers notice? Contact Steve!