Marketing in the News

 Why were you interested in the article and the subject?

I am interested in this article because when I saw they were getting rid of their mascot, I was surprised because I did not know Burger King had a mascot to begin with. When it comes to fast food burger places, Burger King is my preferred place to eat because their food seems slightly healthier compared to others, such as McDonald's. I arrived at this conclusion after watching one of their old ads where the Whopper starts molding compared to McDonald's burger, which doesn't. Also, I believe the Whopper is pretty good overall. Hearing that they have improved it sounds interesting.

summarize the article. What were the three main points or takeaways? Be sure to include enough information so the reader knows the context of the situation.

During the Oscars, Burger King launched a new campaign in the form of an ad where they fired its "King" mascot and introduced a new campaign where the customer is the "king". In the video, Burger King admits past issues they have suffered with, such as slow service, outdated restaurants, etc. Demonstrating that they have been noticing and showing they have started taking action by investing in marketing and restaurant upgrades. And say they are listening to customer feedback to improve.

Article Link

https://www.marketingdive.com/news/burger-kings-cmo-on-firing-its-mascot-as-brand-evolves-in-new-campaign/814643/

What's the Value Proposition of the company or organization involved? 

"Great Food Comes First"

"Burger King is known for serving high-quality, great-tasting, and affordable food. Founded in 1954, Burger King is the second-largest fast-food hamburger chain in the world. The original Home of the Whopper, our commitment to premium ingredients, signature recipes, and family-friendly dining experiences is what has defined our brand for 70 successful years" - (Burger King website).

Note and discuss the marketing relevance explored in the article.

In the article, Burger King is shifting to a more customer experience-focused strategy by trying out a new campaign. They have repositioned their brand in a way that engages more with their customers, as the CMO himself was handing out his phone number to listen to customer feedback for improvements. This new identity helps rebuild trust and differentiate itself through a more modern marketing approach.

What are they doing and how are they doing it?

This campaign is part of Burger King’s “Reclaim the Flame” plan, which was introduced in 2022 and includes a $400 million investment in restaurant upgrades, marketing, and digital improvements to modernize the brand and increase customer engagement.

• What is the challenge that the company/brand is facing or trying to overcome? What is making their job more difficult? How are they approaching this challenge? What is happening with their competition?

During the ad played, Burger King admitted that they have been declining in the fast food industry from once being the 2nd best fast food burger around. Over the years, they seem to be becoming a less popular fast food choice. While other fast food industries, such as McDonalds only keep growing larger.

• What makes the marketing approach unique and/or new? Be specific, and use examples from the article or real life to illustrate. Did it appeal to a particular buyer persona?

What makes this marketing approach unique is the fact that Burger King openly admitted it has fallen off from its glory days , as many problems arising as well with their food. To counterattack this statement, though it introduced new solutions with more results in the future to improve themselves. This acknowledging their past failures and trying to improve from them to gain a sense of trust from the consumers once again to try. I believe this would appeal for people w who want to experience the change for themselves and people who have become moved towards their actions and want to give Burger King a try.

• Critique the marketing solution. Was the marketing approach good, bad, or something else? Apply the ideas and techniques we have learned in class so far this term. 

I think the marketing technique was very good because it made me want to eat at Burger King myself. As someone who hasn't been to a Burger King in a while I am intruiged to know what their hype is about and i feel like that most people would feel the same way. For people who already thought the Whopper was already good, having a newly improved version really draws me in to try it.

What would you do if you were the brand/product manager? 

If i was brand manager, I think having a newly improved meat for the burger would have made this campaign even better. For context they only changed the bread and mayo recipies, which should surely make a difference, but i feel like that's not enough. I feel like updating the main ingredient of the burger to something better would have caused a major public uproar.

• What did you learn from the article and/or in doing this assignment?

I learned that marketing is so important it can instantly revive something that was originally dead if done right. Also I feel like the strategy you used really depends on the business and the buyer persona you are trying to attract in this example trying to rebuild trust in the brand with new changes enables people to want to give Burger King another try.

 

Reclaim the Flame" Plan:

https://news.bk.com/blog-posts/burger-king-r-announces-reclaim-the-flame-plan-to-accelerate-growth-in-the-u-s