Burger King continues this tradition grudge matches in Fast Food by attacking the sacred institution the “Happy Meal.”
In this day in age, even the fast food titans America have taken to “battle rapping” their way to prominence. The movement really started when Wendy’s and Wingstop engaged in an epic Twitter royale, culminating in both sides declaring themselves the winner. Wingstop’s vengeful spirit would soon peter away, due to a lack bite in the chicken sector – a far cry from the battle-ready stance Wendy’s in their own respective field from there on in.
Fast forward to 2019, and every fast food chain worth their weight in carbs seems to be locked in for battle. Burger King, spearheaded by its defacto monarch, is the latest chain to break out a cold war stance, by issuing the “Real Meals” campaign, a marketing strategy aimed at discrediting the integrity it’s greatest competitor, the mighty McDonald’s, found by brothers Maurice and Richard.
“With the pervasive nature social media, there is so much pressure to appear happy and perfect,” reads the statement provided by Burger King at the onset the campaign. “With Real Meals, the Burger King brand celebrates being yourself and feeling however you want to feel.”
For the time being, the “Real Meal” strategy will only be tested in select outlets (in a handful US cities): New York City, Los Angeles, Seattle, Austin, and Miami were all earmarked for the initial run. Each menu option is inspired by a different human emotion: Pissed Meal, the Blue Meal, the Salty Meal, the YAAAS Meal, and the DGAF Meal, none which border on “Happy” or cheerful for that matter.
The final step BK’s launch was to upload the #FeelYouWay promo video to their YouTube channel. We’ll have to wait and see if the oppositional strategy reaches its intended targets. Where do you stand on the BK-McDonald’s rivalry, comment below?