2015: Burger King makes ‘McWhopper’ offer to McDonald’s for Peace Day
To celebrate the Ad Club of New York's 120th anniversary, The Drum is inviting readers to share their favorite marketing moments from the past 120 years.
Today we feature Burger King’s ‘McWhopper’ proposal as our marketing moment, which last year made waves on social media when the fast-food chain asked rival McDonald’s if the two could come together for Peace Day to create a “peace-loving” burger made from the Whopper’s and Big Mac’s tastiest ingredients.
In the New York Times and Chicago Tribune, Burger King printed an open letter asking McDonald’s if the chain would agree to “call a ceasefire on these so-called ‘burger wars’” for a day and participate in the McWhopper experiment.
In the letter, Burger King stated that the McWhoppers would be “developed together, cooked together and available in one location for one day only – Peace Day, September 21, 2015, with all proceeds benefitting Peace One Day.”
While McDonald’s ended up turning down the offer – in a Facebook post, its CEO Steve Easterbook wrote that “we love the intention but think our two brands could do something bigger to make a difference” – the stunt got many people talking about Burger King on social media, with many people using the hashtags ‘#McWhopperProposal’ and ‘McWhopper.’
Created by Y&R New Zealand, the agency won a number of awards for the effort, including the Grandy at the 52nd International Andy Awards.
This ad is the latest in Burger King's long history of producing buzz-worthy ads. The Drum counts down the brand's most impacting ad campaigns here.
Vote for your favorite marketing moment here. The winning moment will be announced at the Ad Club's Annual Meeting of Members on July 19.
See the full 120 Marketing Moments in the dedicated online section and find out how to purchase the exclusive book.