Burger King’s “Whopper Detour”: Turning a Rival into a Marketing Opportunity

Orange background promotional graphic with bold text announcing The Whopper Detour offering a Whopper for one cent with the BK app at McDonalds locations. Central image shows a stacked burger with sesame seed bun beef patty cheese lettuce tomato and condiments. Bottom buttons labeled Get the App and How it Works with Burger King logo and copyright notice.

In 2018, Burger King took a playful swipe at its biggest competitor with a creative app campaign.

 

The Strategy:

 

Using geofencing technology, Burger King targeted McDonald’s locations across the U.S. App users within 600 feet of a McDonald’s could order a Whopper for just one cent.

 

The Results:

 

The stunt drove over 1 million app downloads and propelled the Burger King app to the top of the Apple App Store charts. Media outlets picked up the story, amplifying the campaign’s reach even further.

 

The Takeaway:

 

A little humor and clever competition can create massive buzz but always stay on the right side of the law and ethics. Playful marketing works best when it’s smart, legal, and memorable.