Burger King: #WhoIsTheKing
Burger King France tasked Buzzman Paris with defending the brand against a direct attack from McDonald's. The competitor had launched a billboard campaign mocking Burger King's sparse restaurant network. The objective was to neutralize the convenience argument and reassert Burger King's status as the preferred choice for burger enthusiasts, despite having fewer locations than the market leader.
Creative Idea
Hijacked a competitor's ad to show their restaurants are only good for coffee stops.
Burger King hijacked a McDonald's billboard campaign mocking BK's limited footprint by releasing a response film where a couple uses a McDonald's drive - thru only to buy coffee for the long drive to get a superior Whopper.
The Coffee Stop That Beat the Oscars
48 Hours to Hijack a Giant
The speed of the response was as critical as the creative itself. BUZZMAN produced the entire film in just 48 hours, utilizing the exact same footage and rural setting from the McDonald’s original to create a seamless "part two." By keeping the production lean and the media spend at a mere €5,000, the agency transformed a logistical disadvantage into a narrative of quality. The strategy leaned into the "cult of the Whopper," framing Burger King as the "lover who lives far away" - a brand worth the extra miles.
Outshining Hollywood’s Biggest Night
The campaign’s digital footprint was unprecedented for the French market. It generated over 10 million views in four days and sparked 350,000 shares, resulting in €4 million of earned media value. Most notably, the #WhoIsTheKing hashtag became the top trending topic in France, famously surpassing the social media conversation volume of Leonardo DiCaprio’s first Oscar win for *The Revenant*, which occurred during the same week.
The Power of the Polite Insult
The campaign’s legacy lies in its "rejoinder" style, which forced McDonald’s to eventually dismantle the original billboard in Brioude due to the negative PR. Creative Director Georges Mohammed-Chérif described the process as "telling a great joke to my mates." By ending the ad with a sincere "thank you" to McDonald's for their extensive network, Burger King successfully dismissed their competitor’s food quality while acknowledging their ubiquity, a move now taught in advertising schools as a masterclass in brand agility.
Creative Strategy Deconstructed
Company
A cult - like brand status in France and a reputation for superior flame - grilled taste worth traveling for.
Category
Fast food giants typically compete on convenience and proximity, using store count as a primary metric of dominance.
Customer
Fans who felt a sense of exclusivity and dedication toward the brand after its long absence from the market.
Culture
The rise of hijack marketing where brands use social agility to turn a competitor's media spend against them.
Company
A cult - like brand status in France and a reputation for superior flame - grilled taste worth traveling for.
Category
Fast food giants typically compete on convenience and proximity, using store count as a primary metric of dominance.
Strategy:
Recast a logistical disadvantage as a badge of product superiority to transform inconvenience into a desirable brand ritual.
Customer
Fans who felt a sense of exclusivity and dedication toward the brand after its long absence from the market.
Culture
The rise of hijack marketing where brands use social agility to turn a competitor's media spend against them.
Strategy:
Recast a logistical disadvantage as a badge of product superiority to transform inconvenience into a desirable brand ritual.
Results
The campaign achieved massive viral success with over 10 million views in just 4 days. It generated €4 million in earned media value from a minimal initial media investment of only €5,000. The content sparked over 350,000 shares on social media and became the top trending topic in France, famously overtaking Leonardo DiCaprio’s first Oscar win in social media conversation volume during the same week. The campaign was highly decorated, winning a Gold Lion at Cannes Lions 2016 in 'Promo and Activation', multiple Gold Eurobest awards in 'Integrated' and 'Interactive', and recognition at the Clio Awards and Effie France. Strategically, it forced McDonald’s to dismantle the original billboard in Brioude due to negative PR.
€4M
Earned Media Value from €5k spend
10M+
Views in first 4 days
350k
Social media shares
Strategy Technique
Turn Weakness Into Strength
Instead of denying their lack of locations, Burger King framed the long distance as proof that their food is so good it is worth the extra effort to reach.
Explore Technique
Creative Technique
Take a Shot at the Competition
It directly parodies a competitor's ad, using their own footage and premise to flip a logistical weakness into a testament to product quality and brand loyalty.
Explore Technique
Craft Breakdown
This campaign is a masterclass in reactive storytelling, utilizing a 48-hour production turnaround to flip a competitor's logistical strength into a narrative about product superiority.
The campaign successfully hijacked a competitor's multi-million dollar installation, turning a local billboard into a global news story.
By spending only €5,000, the agency leveraged digital agility to achieve a massive ROI through earned media and viral distribution.
The 'Thank you McDonald's for being everywhere' tagline is a brilliant example of using a polite insult to dismiss food quality.
The film was produced in just 48 hours, seamlessly integrating original footage with new scenes to create a perfect narrative rejoinder.
The magic lies in the synergy between rapid-response production and strategic media placement, allowing the brand to 'win' a conversation it didn't start.
