Burger King surprised its fast food rival with a peace offering in the form of a hybrid hamburger named the “McWhopper” for Peace Day on Sept. 21.
Earlier this week, Burger King surprised its fast food rival with a peace offering in the form of a hybrid hamburger named the “McWhopper.”
The very public proposal was to have Burger King and McDonald’s come together for Peace Day on Sept. 21 and offer a burger that combined each chain’s signature burger, the Whopper and the Big Mac.
Burger King took out full-page advertisements in The Chicago Tribune and The New York Times to make its proposal known. They also created a website to explain the idea, complete with a letter to their burger rivals.
Since Peace Day asks the public “who will you make peace with,” Burger King wrote to McDonald’s that they “call a ceasefire” on the burger wars.
“Let’s end the beef, with beef,” the website says.
All of the proceeds from the proposed event would have gone toward Peace One Day, a nonprofit organization.
However, McDonald’s was not interested in a burger-related peace treaty.
Soon after Burger King’s proposal went public, the CEO of McDonald’s took to their social media to pen a response back to Burger King.
Though the post did call the proposal a good idea for a good cause, McDonald’s countered that the two companies could instead do something “bigger” to make a positive impact.
There was some cheekiness to the post from McDonald’s, with the brand politely chastising Burger King for comparing the business-related competition to the reality of war.
McDonald’s ended the post with the quip, “P.S. A simple phone call will do next time.”
Though the McWhopper isn’t happening, this story exemplifies content marketing, as the proposal has gotten a ton of news coverage.
An NBC affiliate in Atlanta even decided to make their own McWhopper for National Burger Day yesterday.
Whether people considered the move a publicity stunt, a brilliant content marketing strategy or a total waste of time, it has put a major spotlight on the International Day of Peace.
