Burning up the competitors!!!

Two weeks ago we talked about a situation where digital marketing was used in inefficient ways that a company lost millions of dollars in it’s poor decisions. This week we will go over a brand that is leading the charge and intelligently utilising digital marketing in an interactive marketing campaign.

“Burn That Ad” is a campaign that was created by Ad Agency David SP (Sao Paulo) for Burger King Brazil in mid March.

For those who can’t view the video above, simply put the campaign is that when a consumer sees an ad from a competitor to BK (Burger King) they can open the BK app on their device, click the banner on the home screen labeled ‘Burn That Ad’ which opens your camera, you point your camera at the competitors ad from which in augmented reality the ad bursts into flames to reveal a BK ad, for a free ‘Whopper’ which the consumer can claim at a BK store.

The BK app promo was created exclusively for Brazil to promote BK Express, a tech tool allowing any customer to pre-order and avoid lines (The Drum, 2019). The strategy allows Burger King to turn the media investments of its main rival, such as billboards, magazine ads, discount coupons and others, into their ads of their own.

This ad utilises cutting edge technology (phone cameras that so many of us own) and allows consumers to interact with the brands ads. The greatest part to the campaign is that it so perfectly aligns with BK’s positioning and previous advertisements. They constantly boast about their flame grilled burgers and frequently reference fire in their ads where for example in 2017 they feature an ad campaign where their stores had caught on fire due to the ‘flaming’ of their burgers. As well as the fact that BK aren’t knew at poking fun at their competitors. But ultimately the best part about it is that its fun. Its engaging consumers and getting them involved something that brands in our current environment aren’t doing enough off.

“Augmented reality is a fascinating tool. And when combined with a little pyrotechnics, is even better. With ‘Burn That Ad,’ we hacked the competition by leveraging our biggest advantage, which is fire”, said Rafael Donato, creative vice-president for David SP (O’Brien, 2019).

They expect that half a million ‘whoppers’ will be given out during the promotion and it is limited to one per customer (B&T Magazine, 2019). This is out of 1.5 million app users. ‘Whoppers’ are being used as a loss leader for burger king (which means it is priced low to consumers to bring them in so they can purchase other products that hold higher margins eg chips or drinks) so the cost of half a million ‘whoppers’ will be minuscule compared to the increase in sales of other products when they enter the store.

Although the app is only available in Brazil and is being planned to launch in America soon, if they decide to bring it to Australia would you use the app and claim a free ‘Whopper’? What would you use it on? A ‘Maccas’ ad? What do you think? Have BK opened the door to augmented reality or have they missed the mark and wasted their own time and money? Let me know your opinion in the comments below.

B&T Magazine. (2019, March 22). Burger King Utterly Roasts Competitors With New ‘Burn That Ad’ Campaign. Retrieved from Bandt: http://www.bandt.com.au/campaigns/burger-king-utterly-roasts-competitors-new-burn-ad-campaign

O’Brien, K. (2019, March 20). Burger King app lets users ‘burn’ rival fast food ads in exchange for free Whopper. Retrieved from The Drum: https://www.thedrum.com/news/2019/03/20/burger-king-app-lets-users-burn-rival-fast-food-ads-exchange-free-whopper

The Drum. (2019, March). BURGER KING: BURN THAT AD BY DAVID SP. Retrieved from The Drum: https://www.thedrum.com/creative-works/project/david-sp-burger-king-burn-ad