Burger King has just launched a whopper of a radio campaign – literally.
Inspired by 911 calls from Burger King customers, one of which went viral on TikTok last fall, the fast-food chain is using the recordings to promote its guest feedback program in a new series of radio spots. The ads encourage consumers to share similar experiences – not by calling 911 but rather using Burger King's dedicated website, in return for a free Whopper sandwich.
One of the spots in the series includes the years-old audio clip recently shared on Reddit and a now-deleted TikTok video, where a woman at a San Clemente, CA Burger King purports to be calling 911 and complaining to an Orange County sheriff that her Western bacon cheeseburger was prepared incorrectly and that the law should intervene. In another ad, a caller dials 911 when a local Burger King is all out of lemonade.
“These incredible real-life situations help us capture the attention of our audience to talk about something that Burger King is very interested in: its guest experience,” Nacho Flotta and Nicolas Vara, Executive Creative Directors at DAVID Buenos Aires, developers of the radio campaign, tell Europe-based marketing website The Drum. Burger King's global head of brand marketing Iwo Zakowski adds, “When we say ‘Have It Your Way’ we truly mean it. Giving feedback in the right channel is crucial, regardless of whether it’s negative or positive, so we’re encouraging our guests to speak their mind in a forum where we can best learn and truly make an impact.”