Burger King garners more social buzz than McDonald’s post-McWhopper plea
Burger King wasn’t able to convince McDonald’s that the two of them should go in on a ‘McWhopper’ together in the name of charity, but the home of the Whopper is dominating on social media following the stunt.
The fast-food chain has been mentioned in conversation 42 per cent more than McDonald’s, according to social media tracking firm Spredfast.
The social buzz comes after Burger King ran ads in The New York Times and The Chicago Tribune on 26 August, asking McDonald’s to participate in a pop-up restaurant where employees from both companies would create and sell ‘McWhoppers.’ Sales would then benefit non-profit Peace One Day which raises awareness for the International Day of Peace.
Shortly afterwards, McDonald’s chief executive Steve Easterbook turned down the offer on the brand’s Facebook page, stating “We love the intention but think our two brands could do something bigger to make a difference.”
Many voiced their opinions of the proposed collaboration on social media. As of midnight CST today, Burger King was mentioned 39,448 times while McDonald’s was mentioned 22,816 times, according to Spredfast.
Jim Rudden, chief marketing officer of Spredfast, said: “This move is on-brand for Burger King, and consumers are eating it up. Consumers love to see brands having some fun with one another on social, especially when it's for a great cause like Peace One Day. Social can be a real catalyst for change and this is an example of that. They've got my attention, for sure."
The hashtag ‘#McWhopperProposal’ was used 9,198 times with ‘#McWhopper’ in second with 8,341 mentions and ‘#SettletheBeef’ in third with 2,882, the company said.