The archive · PR & Stunts · Marketing decision · 2015–2018
Burger King proposes a peace burger to McDonald's — 5B impressions, 2017 Grand Effie
Losing the burger war, Burger King publicly asks rival McDonald's to make a mash-up 'McWhopper' for UN Peace Day — and turns the rejection into a global story.
Burger King · Y&R New Zealand
What it had to solve
Burger King's Whopper was losing relevance against McDonald's and a field of fast-growing burger chains. With a modest budget, the brand needed to shift attention and brand perception, so instead of joining the category's standard ad war it proposed a ceasefire.
How it works
In August 2015 Burger King was fighting an expensive, undifferentiated burger war. Its insight: when you are at war, the most disruptive thing you can do is call for peace. For UN Peace Day, the brand publicly asked its biggest rival to set aside the rivalry and co-create a mash-up of the Whopper and the Big Mac — the 'McWhopper' — with all proceeds going to Peace One Day.
The proposal opened as a full-page letter in The New York Times and The Chicago Tribune on 26 August. Everything was prepared for either answer: a McWhopper.com media hub with packaging, staff uniforms, recipes and pop-up restaurant designs, plus a film that walked through the plan with Peace One Day founder Jeremy Gilley. When McDonald's declined, Burger King had a second move ready.
Four rival chains — Denny's, Wayback Burgers, Krystal and Giraffas — stepped in with counter-proposals, and together the five brands served a 'Peace Day Burger' at an Atlanta pop-up on 21 September. Meanwhile tens of thousands of people filmed, reviewed and shared their own DIY McWhoppers, turning the rejected offer into a participatory cultural moment.
Within two months the campaign had generated over 5 billion media impressions and more than $125 million in earned media, and it lifted Peace One Day's awareness by 39%. It won the 2017 North American Grand Effie, ranked #5 in the 2018 WARC 100 effectiveness index, and helped make Burger King the world's #1 brand for effectiveness in that year's rankings.
Why it lands
- The idea inverted the category dynamic: instead of attacking the leader, Burger King offered it peace, casting itself as the bigger brand.
- It was fully scripted for both outcomes — acceptance or rejection — so the campaign had a planned next act no matter how McDonald's answered.
- The public was handed a role: thousands of DIY McWhopper videos and posts became the campaign's distribution and its proof.
- Purpose and product were fused: Peace Day gave the stunt meaning, while the Whopper stayed the hero of the story.
What it did
Over 5 billion media impressions and more than $125 million in earned media within two months; Peace One Day awareness up 39%; thousands of DIY McWhopper creations across social platforms. The campaign ranked #5 in the 2018 WARC 100 effectiveness list — where Burger King became the world's #1 brand for effectiveness — and won the 2017 North American Grand Effie plus three trophies.
What you can take
When losing a category war, change the frame: offering peace makes your brand the story's protagonist. Script every response, so even a rejection becomes your next act.
Since then
McDonald's polite rejection became part of the story rather than the end of it, and the campaign ran through the award circuit — Cannes Grands Prix, D&AD Pencils and three trophies at the 2017 North American Effies, including the Grand Effie. The 2018 WARC 100 ranked it the #5 most effective campaign in the world and lifted Burger King to #1 brand for effectiveness. Y&R New Zealand's planners credited the win to treating the campaign as reactive news management: 'reactive is the new proactive.'
Sources
- Effie Insights — Burger King & Y&R New Zealand, 'The McWhopper Proposal'
- Burger King: The McWhopper Proposal
- The McWhopper proposal
- WARC 100: Colenso BBDO Ranked #2 Effective Agency In The World
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