Burger King: Burger to King
Burger King needed to remain top-of-mind among digitally native Millennials and Gen Z gamers, despite a main competitor securing the official FC25 sponsorship. The client sought an innovative way to engage this key audience and achieve significant brand visibility within the popular soccer video game, without traditional media spend.
Creative Idea
Burger King tricked FC25's AI commentary into saying "Burger...to...King" using player names.
Burger King exploited a loophole in FC25's AI commentary by identifying players named "Burger" and "King," causing in-game announcers to repeatedly say "Burger...to...King," effectively hijacking the competitor-sponsored game for massive, organic brand exposure and engagement.
Turning AI Commentary Into A Free Media Channel
Exploiting the AI commentary loophole
The production team at Happiness, an FCB Alliance discovered that the upgraded AI in EA Sports FC 25 was programmed to voice the names of every player in its massive database. By identifying two specific professional footballers - Katherine Burger and Joshua King - the agency realized they could manipulate the game’s logic. When these two players were placed on the same Ultimate Team, the software’s natural play-by-play commentary would announce "Burger... to... King" every time a pass or assist occurred between them. This effectively turned the game’s audio engine into a recurring radio spot for the brand.
Streamer led organic growth
To spark the movement, the campaign launched via six of Belgium’s most influential football streamers, including @JoaquimBlaze and @RSCL_ShadooW. These creators hosted unofficial tournaments on TikTok and Twitch, challenging fans to record their own "Burger to King" goals. The activation notably boosted gender representation in esports, as female gamer Tsiara King became the top scorer in Europe during the event. To claim a reward, players had to upload screen recordings with the hashtag #BurgerToKing, ensuring the brand's name was voiced over 200,000 times within the first week.
Impact on brand sentiment
The strategy bypassed a multi-million dollar official sponsorship held by McDonald's, resulting in a 217% increase in brand-related content consumption. Beyond the 2 million person reach, the most significant metric was the shift in perception; positive brand sentiment among the gaming community jumped from 60% to 95%. Chief Creative Officer Geoffrey Hantson noted that while brands have struggled to enter gaming for years, Burger King proved they had "been there all along" through the names of the players themselves.
Creative Strategy Deconstructed
Company
Burger King possessed strong brand recognition and a bold, innovative spirit to challenge traditional media buys.
Category
The gaming category usually demands costly official sponsorships for brands to gain visibility and engage with its massive audience.
Customer
Gamers desired authentic, shareable content and interactive experiences that offered tangible rewards within their beloved game environment.
Culture
The advent of dynamic, AI-driven in-game commentary in popular video games presented an unexpected, exploitable media channel.
Company
Burger King possessed strong brand recognition and a bold, innovative spirit to challenge traditional media buys.
Category
The gaming category usually demands costly official sponsorships for brands to gain visibility and engage with its massive audience.
Strategy:
Leverage overlooked technological loopholes to disrupt competitor dominance and create organic brand advocacy.
Customer
Gamers desired authentic, shareable content and interactive experiences that offered tangible rewards within their beloved game environment.
Culture
The advent of dynamic, AI-driven in-game commentary in popular video games presented an unexpected, exploitable media channel.
Strategy:
Leverage overlooked technological loopholes to disrupt competitor dominance and create organic brand advocacy.
Strategy Technique
Hijack a Moment
Burger King seized an unintended loophole in a competitor-sponsored game, turning organic AI commentary into brand mentions - a textbook moment hijack at zero media cost.
Explore Technique
Creative Technique
Hijack the Medium
Burger King cleverly exploited FC25's AI commentary system, turning in-game audio into an unofficial media channel. They hijacked the game's dynamic verbal mentions to promote their brand without direct sponsorship.
Explore Technique
