Editing Burger King (section)

==Advertising==
{{Main|Burger King advertising|list of Burger King marketing campaigns}}
[[File:Nick-van-eede-KING-CROWN.jpg|thumb|The Burger King "crown", worn by [[Nick Van Eede]]|alt=A Burger King crown on Nick Van Eede]]
Since its founding in 1954, Burger King has employed varied advertising programs, both successful and unsuccessful. During the 1970s, output included its "Hold the pickles, hold the lettuce..." jingle, the inspiration for its current mascot [[The Burger King (mascot)|the Burger King]], and several well known and parodied [[slogans]] such as "Have it your way" and "It takes two hands to handle a Whopper".<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=emVzMXpBUoIC&q=two+hands+to+hold+a+whopper&pg=PT582 |title=Gabay's Copywriters' Compendium |first=J. Jonathan |last=Gabay |publisher=Butterworth-Heinemann |date=October 2006 |isbn=978-0-7506-8320-3 |page=582 |access-date=December 4, 2008 |archive-date=January 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210121024444/https://books.google.com/books?id=emVzMXpBUoIC&q=two+hands+to+hold+a+whopper&pg=PT582 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="bkcmah">{{cite web |url=http://www.bk.com/companyinfo/content/corporation/history.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070525025155/http://www.bk.com/companyinfo/content/corporation/history.html |archive-date=May 25, 2007 |title=Marketing and Advertising History |publisher=Burger King Corporation |date=March 12, 2007 |access-date=October 24, 2007}}</ref><ref name="sheph">{{cite web |url=http://shephyken.blogspot.com/2006/05/hold-pickles-hold-lettuce-special.html |title=Customer service and more |first=Shep |last=Hyken |publisher=BlogSpot |date=May 26, 2006 |access-date=September 26, 2007 |archive-date=July 18, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070718021732/http://shephyken.blogspot.com/2006/05/hold-pickles-hold-lettuce-special.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Burger King introduced the first [[attack ad]] in the fast food industry with a pre-teen [[Sarah Michelle Gellar]] in 1981. The television spot, which claimed BK burgers were larger and better tasting than competitor McDonald's,<ref name="Reiter"/>{{rp|66}} so enraged executives at McDonald's parent company that they sued all parties involved.<ref name="sheknows-gellar">{{cite web |last=Salemi |first=Vicki |title=Buffy's Having A Baby |work=SheKnows.com |publisher=AtomicOnline |url=http://www.sheknows.com/entertainment/articles/808551/sarah-michelle-gellar-pregnant |date=April 12, 2009 |access-date=November 3, 2010 |archive-date=November 1, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101101224900/http://www.sheknows.com/entertainment/articles/808551/sarah-michelle-gellar-pregnant |url-status=live }}</ref> Starting in the early 1980s and running through approximately 2001, BK engaged a series of [[Advertising agency|ad agencies]] that produced many unsuccessful slogans and programs, including its biggest advertising flop "[[Where's Herb?]]"<ref name="time">{{cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/printout/0,8816,960538,00.html |title=Herb Comes Out of Hiding |magazine=Time |date=February 3, 1986 |access-date=October 24, 2004 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130128174940/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/printout/0%2C8816%2C960538%2C00.html |archive-date=January 28, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3190/is_v20/ai_4083228/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120712174422/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3190/is_v20/ai_4083228/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 12, 2012 |title=Herb falls flat, but Wendy's breaks another winner |first=Mark |last=Schoifet |work=Nation's Restaurant News |date=January 1, 1986 |access-date=October 24, 2007 }}</ref>

Burger King was a pioneer in the advertising practice known as the "[[product tie-in]]", with a successful partnership with [[George Lucas]]' [[Lucasfilm]], Ltd., to promote the 1977 film ''[[Star Wars (film)|Star Wars]]'' in which BK sold a set of beverage glasses featuring the main characters from the movie.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.starwars.com/episode-iii/release/promo/news20050520.html |title=Doing Star Wars the Burger King Way |publisher=Lucasfilm |work=Starwars.com |date=May 20, 2005 |access-date=November 19, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070703034852/http://www.starwars.com/episode-iii/release/promo/news20050520.html |archive-date=July 3, 2007 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.foodfacts.info/blog/2005/05/star-wars-returns-to-burger-king.html |title=Star Wars returns to Burger King |author=Ken |publisher=FastFoodFacts.info |date=May 10, 2005 |access-date=November 19, 2007 |archive-date=November 13, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101113082844/http://www.foodfacts.info/blog/2005/05/star-wars-returns-to-burger-king.html |url-status=live }}</ref> This promotion was one of the first in the [[fast food restaurant|fast food]] industry and set the pattern that continues to the present. BK's early success in the field was overshadowed by a 1982 deal between McDonald's and [[The Walt Disney Company]] to promote Disney's animated films beginning in the mid-1980s and running through the early 1990s. In 1994, Disney switched from McDonald's to Burger King, signing a 10-movie promotional contract which would include such top 10 films as ''[[Aladdin (1992 Disney film)|Aladdin]]'' (1992), ''[[Beauty and the Beast (1991 film)|Beauty and the Beast]]'' (1991), ''[[The Lion King]]'' (1994), and ''[[Toy Story]]'' (1995).<ref name="Gale" /> Burger King created kids' meal toys to promote the [[DreamWorks Pictures]] film ''[[Small Soldiers]]'' (1998). This led to some controversy due to the film being rated PG-13. As a result, BK altered the promotional commercials to be directed at an older audience, and included a pamphlet disclaimer with the toys which read, in part; "the movie ''Small Soldiers'' may contain material that is inappropriate for younger children."<ref>{{cite web|last=Neville|first=Ken|title="Small Soldiers," Big Controversy|url=http://www.eonline.com/news/36690/small-soldiers-big-controversy|website=E Online|date=July 10, 1998|access-date=June 20, 2024}}</ref> A partnership in association with the [[Pokémon]] franchise at the height of its popularity in 1999 was tremendously successful for the company, with many locations rapidly selling out of the toys and the replacements.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/KIDS+SWARM+BURGER+KING+AS+POKEMON-MANIA+STRIKES.%28News%29%28Statistical...-a083629023 |title=Kids swarm Burger King as Pokémon-mania strikes |first=Jason |last=Kandel |work=[[Los Angeles Daily News]] |date=November 12, 1999 |access-date=December 2, 2007 |archive-date=May 20, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110520141155/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/KIDS+SWARM+BURGER+KING+AS+POKEMON-MANIA+STRIKES.(News)(Statistical...-a083629023 |url-status=live }}</ref> In December 1999, [[Burger King Pokémon container recall|two hazardous incidents]] involving the Pokéball toy, one of which caused the death of a 13-month-old child, led to the toy being recalled.{{citation needed|date=December 2024}}

Shortly after the acquisition of Burger King by [[TPG Capital, L.P.]] in 2002, its new CEO Brad Blum set about turning around the fortunes of the company by initiating an overhaul of its flailing advertising programs. In 2003, Burger King hired the Miami-based advertising agency [[Crispin Porter + Bogusky]] (CP+B), which completely reorganized its advertising with a series of new campaigns. CP+B was known for having a hip, subversive tack when creating campaigns for its clients, exactly what BK was looking for.<ref name="Horovitz-Blum" /><ref name="BKC-CPB"/> Their strategy centered on a redesigned Burger King character used during the 1970s/1980s [[Burger King Kingdom]] children's advertising campaign as a [[caricature]]d variation, now simply called "the King".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.slate.com/articles/business/ad_report_card/2004/10/the_return_of_the_king.html |title=Burger King is resurrecting a dubious icon. Why? |first=Seth |last=Stevenson |publisher=[[Slate.com]] |date=October 1, 2004 |access-date=October 9, 2007 |archive-date=November 25, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111125161612/http://www.slate.com/articles/business/ad_report_card/2004/10/the_return_of_the_king.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="heavyweights">{{cite episode |title=Big Burger Business: McDonald's and Burger King |url=https://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/heavyweights/episodes/big-burger-business-mcdonalds-and-burger-king |series=Heavyweights |network=[[Food Network]] |airdate=April 21, 2008 |season=2 |number=3 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120919161141/http://www.foodnetwork.com/heavyweights/big-burger-business-mcdonalds-and-burger-king/index.html |archive-date=September 19, 2012}}</ref>

While highly successful, some of CP+B's commercials were derided for perceived [[sexism]] or cultural insensitivity. Burger King's new owner, 3G Capital, later terminated the relationship with CP+B in 2011 and moved its advertising to [[McGarryBowen]] to begin a new product-oriented campaign with expanded [[demographic targeting]].

Additionally, CP+B created a series of new characters like [[the Subservient Chicken]] and the faux [[nu-metal]] band [[Coq Roq]], featured in a series of [[viral marketing|viral]] web-based advertisements on sites such as MySpace and various Burger King corporate pages, to complement various television and print promotional campaigns.<ref name="bk-my space">{{cite web|url=http://www.mad.co.uk/Main/Home/Articles/be50c1fbeab44225a611af5edb1d4ae7/Burger-King-in-MySpace-campaign.html |title=Burger King in MySpace campaign |publisher=Mad.co.uk |date=May 13, 2006 |access-date=August 27, 2007 |format=Fee required |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080115145740/http://www.mad.co.uk/Main/Home/Articles/be50c1fbeab44225a611af5edb1d4ae7/Burger-King-in-MySpace-campaign.html |archive-date=January 15, 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://marketingtoday.blogspot.com/2005/07/burger-king-goes-tasteless.html |title=Burger King Goes Tasteless |first=Peter |last=Delegge |publisher=MarketingToday.com |date=July 31, 2005 |access-date=August 25, 2007 |archive-date=August 7, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070807183848/http://marketingtoday.blogspot.com/2005/07/burger-king-goes-tasteless.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="bk-table guests">{{cite web |url=https://www.allbusiness.com/burger-kings-table-guests-3877633-1.html |title=Burger King's Table Guests |first=Robyn |last=Tippins |publisher=AllBusiness.com |date=August 3, 2006 |access-date=August 25, 2007 |archive-date=October 16, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016223351/http://www.allbusiness.com/burger-kings-table-guests-3877633-1.html |url-status=live }}</ref> One of the more successful promotions that CP+B devised was the creation of a series of three [[advergame]]s for the [[Xbox 360]].<ref name="Ederly-Mollick">{{cite book |last1=Edery |first1=David |last2=Mollick |first2=Ethan |title=Changing the game: how video games are transforming the future of business |publisher=FT Press |isbn=978-0-13-235781-4 |chapter=3 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/changinggamehowv00eder/page/69 69–72] |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L0TAV4BRs60C&q=Burger+King+Advergaming&pg=PA66 |date=October 2008 |access-date=January 20, 2011 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/changinggamehowv00eder/page/69 }}</ref><ref name="Wilson-Gamespot">{{cite web |last=Wilson |first=Douglas |title=GDC 07: Burger King gets its game on |url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/gdc-07-burger-king-gets-its-game-on/1100-6167216/ |work=[[GameSpot]] |access-date=January 20, 2011 |date=March 11, 2007 |archive-date=June 12, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612142224/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/gdc-07-burger-king-gets-its-game-on/1100-6167216/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Created by UK-based [[Blitz Games]] and featuring company celebrity spokesman [[Brooke Burke]], the games sold more than 3.2&nbsp;million copies, placing them as one of the top selling games along with another Xbox 360 hit, ''[[Gears of War]]''.<ref name="Wilson-Gamespot"/><ref name="BK-X-Box">{{cite web|url=http://www.xbox365.com/news.cgi?id=GGHHHLHurH12210217 |title=More than 2 Million Games Sold Nationwide... |author=Coola |publisher=XBox365.com |date=December 21, 2006 |access-date=October 27, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070101205904/http://www.xbox365.com/news.cgi?id=GGHHHLHurH12210217 |archive-date=January 1, 2007 }}</ref> These ad campaigns, coupled with other new promotions and a series of [[Burger King products|new product]] introductions, drew positive and negative attention to BK and helped TPG and its partners realize about US$367&nbsp;million in dividends.<ref name="BK-CPG ads">{{cite web |url=http://www.cpbgroup.com/ |title=CP+B website, ''Burger King'' section. |publisher=[[Crispin Porter + Bogusky]] |access-date=October 24, 2007 |archive-date=October 27, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071027080203/http://www.cpbgroup.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.whatsnextblog.com/archives/2004/04/burger_king_has_fun_with_subse.asp |title=Burger King Has Fun With Subservient Chicken Viral Campaign |first=B.L. |last=Ochman |date=April 12, 2004 |access-date=August 25, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061231135925/http://www.whatsnextblog.com/archives/2004/04/burger_king_has_fun_with_subse.asp |archive-date=December 31, 2006 }}</ref>

With the [[late-2000s recession]] hitting the 18–35 demographic targeted by the CP+B created ads particularly hard, the company saw its market share decline and the company move into the red. After the completion of the sale of the company in late 2010, the new ownership group terminated Burger King's seven-year relationship with CP+B and hired rival firm [[McGarryBowen]] to create a new campaign with an expanded market reach.<ref>{{cite web |first1=Rupal |last1=Parekh |first2=Maureen |last2=Morrison |work=Advertising Age |url=http://adage.com/article/agency-news/burger-king-ad-agency-crispin-split-year-run/149481/ |title=Burger King and Crispin Split After Seven-Year Run |date=March 18, 2011 |access-date=March 18, 2011 |archive-date=March 21, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110321032358/http://adage.com/article/agency-news/burger-king-ad-agency-crispin-split-year-run/149481/ |url-status=live }}</ref> As part of the new campaign, McGarryBowen terminated the use of [[The Burger King (mascot)|The Burger King]] in the company's advertising program in favor of a new program that focused on the food and ingredients in its new advertising campaigns.<ref name="AdAge-McGarryBowen">{{cite web |last=Morrison |first=Maureen |title=McGarryBowen Set to Grab Burger King Account |url=http://adage.com/article/agency-news/mcgarrybowen-set-grab-burger-king-account/227872/ |work=Ad Age |access-date=September 29, 2011 |date=June 1, 2011 |archive-date=February 28, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130228215014/http://adage.com/article/agency-news/mcgarrybowen-set-grab-burger-king-account/227872/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In recent years, Burger King has turned to [[trolling]] fast food rival McDonald's with their advertising strategy. The company's tactics have included LOLA MullenLowe's "Scary Clown Night" which offered a free Whopper to anyone dressed as a clown ([[Ronald McDonald|McDonald's mascot]]) on Halloween; FCB New York's Whopper Detour initiative, which encouraged [[mobile app]] users to go to a nearby McDonald's in order to unlock a 1-center Whopper; and Ingo's "The Not Big Macs" menu, which poked fun at McDonald's recent loss of the Big Mac trademark in the EU.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.adweek.com/creativity/burger-king-trolls-mcdonalds-yet-again-with-an-entire-menu-mocking-the-big-mac/|title=Burger King Trolls McDonald's Yet Again With an Entire Menu Mocking the Big Mac|website=www.adweek.com|date=January 31, 2019 |language=en-US|access-date=February 1, 2019|archive-date=January 31, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190131152651/https://www.adweek.com/creativity/burger-king-trolls-mcdonalds-yet-again-with-an-entire-menu-mocking-the-big-mac/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In February 2019, the company launched an advertising campaign called "Eat Like Andy". The television spot which premiered during the [[Super Bowl LIII]] features archival documentary film footage from "[[66 Scenes from America]]" by [[Jørgen Leth]] of the pop artist [[Andy Warhol]] (1928–1987) unwrapping and eating a [[Whopper]]. The footage was approved for use by the fast food giant courtesy of the [[Andy Warhol Foundation]]. Meanwhile, prior to the game, the mass market hamburger chain made available to viewers who ordered it in advance via [[DoorDash]] an "Andy Warhol Mystery Box" which contains among other items a plastic bottle of ketchup and a platinum wig so one can "Eat Like Andy".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.crainsnewyork.com/advertising-marketing/why-burger-king-showed-andy-warhol-eating-burger-its-super-bowl-commercial|title=Why Burger King showed Andy Warhol eating a burger in its Super Bowl commercial|date=February 5, 2019|website=Crain's New York Business|access-date=February 8, 2019|archive-date=February 9, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190209180014/https://www.crainsnewyork.com/advertising-marketing/why-burger-king-showed-andy-warhol-eating-burger-its-super-bowl-commercial|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.elitedaily.com/p/burger-kings-andy-warhol-super-bowl-commercial-features-icon-a-classic-15919760|title=This Year's Burger King Super Bowl Commercial Features This Legendary Artist|first=Mehak|last=Anwar|website=Elite Daily|date=February 4, 2019 |access-date=February 8, 2019|archive-date=February 7, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190207101148/https://www.elitedaily.com/p/burger-kings-andy-warhol-super-bowl-commercial-features-icon-a-classic-15919760|url-status=live}}</ref>

{{tweet
|name = Burger King 
|username = BurgerKingUK
|text = Women belong in the kitchen.
|translation = 
|date = March 8, 2021
|ID = 1368849338596745223
|ref-name = TweetBurgerKingUK_2
}}
{{tweet
|name = Burger King 
|username = BurgerKingUK
|text = If they want to, of course. Yet only 20% of chefs are women. We're on a mission to change the gender ratio in the restaurant industry by empowering female employees with the opportunity to pursue a culinary career. #IWD
|translation = 
|date = March 8, 2021
|ID = 1368849339607638017
|ref-name = TweetBurgerKingUK_3
}}
{{tweet
|name = Burger King 
|username = BurgerKingUK
|text = We are proud to be launching a new scholarship programme which will help female Burger King employees pursue their culinary dreams!
|translation = 
|date = March 8, 2021
|ID = 1368877839072821253
}}
On March 8, 2021, Burger King was criticized for their [[International Women's Day]] marketing campaign, after a tweet from Burger King UK stated, "[[separate spheres|Women belong in the kitchen]]".<ref>{{Cite news|last=Denham|first=Hannah|title=Burger King UK sparks uproar with 'Women belong in the kitchen' tweet on International Women's Day|language=en-US|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/03/08/burger-king-tweet-women/|access-date=March 8, 2021|issn=0190-8286|archive-date=April 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210420171417/https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/03/08/burger-king-tweet-women/|url-status=live}}</ref> The tweets were labeled as sexist by thousands of Twitter users<ref name="Rodger">{{Cite web|last=Rodger|first=James|date=March 8, 2021|title=Burger King under fire over 'shameful' International Women's Day tweet|url=https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/whats-on/food-drink-news/burger-king-under-fire-over-19987449|access-date=March 8, 2021|website=BirminghamLive|language=en|archive-date=March 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308142046/https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/whats-on/food-drink-news/burger-king-under-fire-over-19987449|url-status=live}}</ref> and dozens of news publications.<ref>{{Cite web|date=March 8, 2021|title=Burger King's UK tweets, 'Women belong in the kitchen' on International Women's Day|url=https://www.ksn.com/news/business/burger-king-tweets-women-belong-in-the-kitchen-on-international-womens-day/|access-date=March 8, 2021|website=KSN-TV|language=en-US|archive-date=December 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211207211731/https://www.ksn.com/news/business/burger-king-tweets-women-belong-in-the-kitchen-on-international-womens-day/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Molina|first=Brett|title=Burger King UK under fire for tweeting 'Women belong in the kitchen' on International Women's Day|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2021/03/08/burger-king-uk-under-fire-women-belong-kitchen-tweet/4627505001/|access-date=March 8, 2021|website=USA Today|language=en-US|archive-date=March 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309000753/https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2021/03/08/burger-king-uk-under-fire-women-belong-kitchen-tweet/4627505001/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Lopez-Alvar|first=Nicole|date=March 8, 2021|title=Burger King UK tweets 'women belong in the kitchen' on International Women's Day|url=https://www.local10.com/news/world/2021/03/08/burger-king-uk-tweets-women-belong-in-the-kitchen-on-international-womens-day/|access-date=March 8, 2021|website=WPLG|language=en|archive-date=March 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308193158/https://www.local10.com/news/world/2021/03/08/burger-king-uk-tweets-women-belong-in-the-kitchen-on-international-womens-day/|url-status=live}}</ref> Burger King UK followed up, stating "We're on a mission to change the gender ratio in the restaurant industry."<ref name="Rodger"/> However, critics say the damage has already been done. The initial tweet received high amounts of recognition and viewer interaction, while the replies received a fraction of the coverage, meaning only a few people are aware of the clarifications made by Burger King.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Burger King U.K. gets pushback for 'Women belong in the kitchen' post|url=https://www.today.com/food/burger-king-u-k-shares-women-belong-kitchen-post-t211037|access-date=March 8, 2021|website=TODAY.com|date=March 8, 2021 |language=en|archive-date=March 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308210550/https://www.today.com/food/burger-king-u-k-shares-women-belong-kitchen-post-t211037|url-status=live}}</ref> After severe backlash, Burger King deleted the tweet 12 hours later and posted an apology stating, "We got our initial tweet wrong and we're sorry."<ref>{{Cite tweet |title=We hear you |number=1369055736756600834 |user=BurgerKingUK |date=March 8, 2021 |access-date=March 8, 2021}}</ref>

In late 2022, Burger King released the [[Whopper Whopper (song)|"Have it Your Way" commercials]], going viral on social media such as [[TikTok]] after the [[2022–23 NFL playoffs]] because of its large amount of repetition and catchiness. The ads gained media attention and made their way onto music streaming services such as [[Spotify]] in February 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Marcin |first=Tim |date=January 25, 2023 |title=The Burger King 'Whopper' jingle is going viral because sports fans can't escape it |url=https://mashable.com/article/burger-king-jingle-viral-memes-nfl |access-date=February 17, 2023 |website=Mashable |language=en}}</ref>