The Whopper is one of the most iconic menu items in American culinary history, and Burger King Chief Marketing Officer Pat O'Toole knows it.
In just over a year after taking over after a 15-year career at PepsiCo, he has put the Miami-based chain's signature products at the forefront of several marketing efforts.
Some of those efforts began before his arrival, with the brand rebooting its decades-old “Have it Your Way” jingle as “Whopper Whopper,” and featuring music by Lil Yachty, Anitta, Ratt and more. We partnered with artists to remix this song.
O'Toole continued that campaign with DJ and music producer Steve Aoki.
“It was really important to us to get people thinking and talking about the Whopper,” O'Toole said. “And we did that very effectively with the 'Have it Your Way' jingle and its modernization.”
The initiative was a huge success, with consumers creating their own versions of the song and sharing them across social media platforms.
“It doesn't happen very often in a marketing career that you see everyone knowing, talking, and thinking about your product. You have to keep building on that momentum.”
O'Toole did that by emphasizing the unique qualities of The Whopper and Burger King: their flame-grilled flavor and the fact that the chain encourages people to customize. This was the point of the original “Have it Your Way” song and, in more modern terms, the new tagline “You Rule,” which signifies that the guest is the boss.
That customization is enhanced by items such as Have-sies, a combination of onion rings and fries, that O'Toole said BK is uniquely positioned to offer in the quick-service restaurant space.
“We are one of the only domestic QSRs with onion rings,” he said. “Onion rings are delicious, but sometimes you want fries too. You can have both together if you eat it the way you like it.”
He said the original jingle's lyrics, “Hold the pickles, have the lettuce, special orders don't faze us,” are “really powerful.”
“When standing in line at fast food, most people default to 'I don't want to push this special request onto the staff member making the sandwich or the person in line behind me.' said “no” loudly and publicly. When people come here, we want them to leave happy. You are in control. You are ultimately responsible. ” It really continues what this brand was built on and articulates it in a way that resonates with today's guests and today. ”
And consumers are in control in more ways than that, O'Toole said. Consumers also control most of the messaging.
“I believe now is the best time to be a marketer, because in an era when people with large checkbooks could advertise with limited amounts of money, TV stations help create and craft the narrative. They had the loudest voices.
“Consumers now have the ability to personalize their messages and share them with the public. They can create videos and tell people how great this is or in some cases how bad an experience they had. As a marketer, it's thrilling because you always need to understand the perception and conversation around your brand. It's also a very powerful tool to help you get your message out at scale. .”
O'Toole has been working with some of the most vocal consumers and influencers to promote Burger King's latest initiative, the Million Dollar Whopper Contest. The contest asks consumers to do what they've always been asked to do: customize their Whopper, but now they'll have a chance to do it publicly and have their version featured on the menu as a limited-time offer. can do. The three finalists will have the opportunity to refine their work before it is released as an LTO. The public then votes and the winner receives her $1 million.
O'Toole sent a press kit along with a gift to some influencers in hopes of posting about the issue. Some, like Owen Hung, were paid to make promotional videos.
“He creates really engaging meal prep content and has a unique style that relies heavily on tight filming and natural sound,” O'Toole said. “So it’s really fun to see how he builds.” [his Whopper]. You can hear the sizzle of bacon and the sound of a knife cutting on a cutting board. This is a really cool way for him to create content that really resonates with Burger King and everyone who comes across his content. ”
O'Toole said he can expect more promotion of The Whopper and its customizability, as well as promotion of the brand's Royal Crispy Fried Chicken Wrap.
“Rapp invites guests who have never been to Burger King before or who haven't been to Burger King in a very long time,” he says. “This will help us serve guests that we were previously unable to accommodate and will continue to be an important part of our strategy.”
Contact Brett Thorne: [email protected]
