This is a list of the various advertising programs fast food restaurant chain Burger King has employed over the course of its history. It includes promotional slogans, jingles and media tie-ins.
This is a partial history of BK advertising slogans: [1] [2]
In 1973, BK introduced a jingle in response to McDonald's Big Mac song. [12] The lyrics proclaimed that Burger King would serve you a customized product (for example you can have whatever toppings you wanted on a burger, or even plain), according to its slogan Have it your way, and that it would happily do so:
(Chorus) Have it your way, have it your way! Have it your way at Burger King!
Hold the pickles, hold the lettuce;
- special orders don't upset us.
All we ask is that you let us serve it your way...
We can serve your broiled-beef Whopper
- fresh with everything on top or
Any way you think is proper; have it your way...
(Chorus) Have it your way, have it your way! At Burger King, eat at Burger King!
The jingle was used for several years in the 1970s, and has been modified several times and reused: during the 1980s the phrase at Burger King today was added at the end of the song. A commercial with Shaquille O'Neal had different tempos of jingles as Shaq goes into a 1950s malt shop, then 1960s and 1970s styles and finally a 1980s neon theme, each line reflecting music styles of said decade. During a 2006 commercial called the Whopperettes featuring Brooke Burke, the performers sang a modified version of the song during a musical number overseen by the King.
The Whopper Whopper song is a variation of The Burger King jingle, and was played in ads during 2022 and 2023. [13]
Crispin Porter + Bogusky created a series of web-based advertisements to complement the various television and print promotional campaigns on sites such as Myspace and various BK corporate pages. These viral campaigns coupled several other new advertisement campaigns drew considerable positive and negative attention to BK.
London-based Mother had been working in partnership with McGarryBowen for the company beginning in December 2011. [23] Mother took over as the company's firm of record on 19 February 2013, from McGarryBowen. The partnership only lasted one year until the agency was dropped on 6 January 2014. [24]
Burger King supports its advertising and change efforts with the opportunity for customers to fill out a My BK Experience survey every time after they eat at Burger King, keep their receipt, and go online to complete the survey. Customers receive a free survey code they can exchange for their choice of a Whopper or Chicken Sandwich, and Burger King receives invaluable feedback they use to continually improve upon their service, customer experience, and to get advertising ideas and inspiration.
The following movies and shows were promoted in store as Kids' Meal or other promotional products.
Name | Date | Notes |
---|---|---|
Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie: Pyramid of Light [26] | 2004 | |
Pokémon: The First Movie | 1999 | Also known as Mewtwo Strikes Back |
Name | Date | Notes |
---|---|---|
Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked | 2011 | International markets only |
Anastasia [27] | 1997 | |
Capitol Critters | 1992 | |
Fantastic Four [28] | 2005 | |
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer | 2007 | |
Gulliver's Travels | 2010 | |
Ice Age [29] | 2002 | Also in 2014 |
Ice Age 2: The Meltdown [30] | 2006 | |
Marmaduke | 2010 | |
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie | 1995 | International markets only |
Rio 2 | 2014 | |
Robots [31] | 2005 | |
The Simpsons Movie [32] [33] | 2007 | |
Star Wars [34] | 1977 | |
The Empire Strikes Back [35] | 1981 | |
Return of the Jedi [36] | 1983 | |
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith [36] | 2005 | |
X-Men: The Last Stand | 2006 | International markets only |
X-Men: Evolution [37] | 2001 |
Name | Date | Notes |
---|---|---|
Aladdin [38] | 1992 | |
Beauty and the Beast [38] | 1991 | |
Bonkers | 1994 | |
Cinderella | 1992 | UK only (VHS release) |
Gargoyles [38] | 1995 | |
A Goofy Movie [38] | 1995 | |
Goof Troop [38] | 1993 | |
The Hunchback of Notre Dame [38] | 1996 | |
Mickey's Toontown | 1993 | |
Muppet Treasure Island | 1996 | |
The Nightmare Before Christmas [38] | 1993 | |
Oliver & Company re-release [38] | 1996 | |
The Lion King [38] | 1994 | 1995 (UK) |
Pinocchio [38] | 1992 | re-release |
Pocahontas [38] | 1995 | |
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs | 1994 | UK only (VHS release) |
Timon & Pumbaa [38] | 1996 | |
Toy Story [39] | 1995 | Also in 1996 |
Walt Disney World | 1991 |
Name | Date | Notes |
---|---|---|
The Incredible Hulk [40] | 2008 | |
Iron Man | 2008 | |
Iron Man 2 [41] | 2010 | |
Thor | 2011 |
Name | Date | Notes |
---|---|---|
Chicken Run [42] [43] | 2000 | |
The Croods: A New Age | 2020 | |
Kung Fu Panda 4 | 2024 | |
Madagascar [44] | 2005 | |
The Road to El Dorado | 2000 | |
Shark Tale [45] | 2004 | |
Shrek [46] [47] [48] | 2001 | |
Shrek 2 [49] | 2004 | |
Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas | 2003 | |
Small Soldiers [50] [51] | 1998 | |
Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron [44] | 2002 | |
Toonsylvania | 1998 | |
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit | 2005 |
Name | Date | Notes |
---|---|---|
Dragon Ball Z | 2000 | |
Dragon Ball Z | 2002 |
Name | Date | Notes |
---|---|---|
Furby | 2005 | |
G.I. Joe: Sigma 6 | 2006 | |
iDog Family | 2007 | |
Mr. Potato Head | 1998 | |
Mr. Potato Head | 1999 | |
Transformers: Cybertron | 2005 |
Name | Date | Notes |
---|---|---|
Viva Piñata: Party Animals | 2007 | |
Windows 7 [52] | 2009 |
Name | Date | Notes |
---|---|---|
Nintendo Superstars [53] | 2002 | |
Nintendo Switch | 2021 | |
Wii | 2008 | |
Wii U | 2012 | |
Pokémon | 1999 | |
Pokémon [54] | 2000 | |
Pokémon | 2008 | |
Pokémon | 2009 |
Name | Date | Notes |
---|---|---|
Avatar: The Last Airbender | 2006 | |
CatDog | 1999 | |
Danny Phantom | 2005 | |
Dora the Explorer | 2004 | |
The Fairly OddParents | 2003 | Also in 2004 |
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra [55] | 2009 | |
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull [56] | 2008 | |
Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius [57] | 2001 | Also in 2002 |
Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards [44] | 1999 | |
PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie | 2023 | |
Rango | 2011 | |
The Rugrats Movie [58] | 1998 | |
Rugrats [44] | 1999 | |
Rugrats in Paris: The Movie [44] | 2000 | |
Rugrats Go Wild [59] | 2003 | |
Sherlock Gnomes | 2018 | |
SpongeBob SquarePants [44] | 2001 | Repeated tie-ins through 2014, and 2024 |
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie | 2004 | |
SpongeBob's Atlantis SquarePantis | 2007 | |
Pest of the West | 2008 | |
Star Trek [60] | 2009 | |
Transformers [33] | 2007 | |
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen [61] [62] | 2009 | |
Transformers: Dark of the Moon | 2011 | |
Transformers One | 2024 | |
The Wild Thornberrys [63] | 1999 | |
The Wild Thornberrys Movie | 2002 |
Name | Date | Notes |
---|---|---|
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987 TV series) | 1989 | Also in 1990 |
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003 TV series) | 2003 |
Name | Date | Notes |
---|---|---|
Sonic the Hedgehog | 2023 |
Name | Date | Notes |
---|---|---|
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs | 2009 | |
The Garfield Movie | 2024 | |
Ghost Rider | 2007 | International markets only |
Hotel Transylvania | 2012 | International markets only |
Jackie Chan Adventures | 2000 | Also in 2005 |
Men in Black II | 2002 | |
Men in Black: The Series | 1997 | |
Muppets from Space [64] | 1999 | UK only |
Open Season | 2006 | |
Planet 51 | 2009 | |
Spider-Man 2 [65] [66] [49] | 2004 | |
Spider-Man 3 [67] | 2007 | |
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse | 2023 |
Name | Date | Notes |
---|---|---|
Big Miracle | 2012 | |
Butt-Ugly Martians | 2002 | |
The Cat in the Hat (film) | 2003 | |
The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas | 2000 | |
Hop | 2011 | |
Jurassic Park | 2013 | |
Jurassic Park III | 2001 | International markets only |
King Kong | 2005 | |
King Ralph | 1991 | |
The Land Before Time | 1998 | |
The Lost World: Jurassic Park | 1997 | |
Universal Monsters | 1997 |
Name | Date | Notes |
---|---|---|
The Ant Bully | 2006 | |
Batman Beyond | 1999 | Also in 2001 |
Batwheels | 2023 | |
Beetlejuice | 1990 | |
Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore | 2010 | |
The Dark Knight | 2008 | International markets only |
Dexter's Laboratory | 2003 | |
Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends | 2006 | |
The Golden Compass [68] | 2008 | International markets only |
Happy Feet | 2006 | |
Happy Feet Two | 2011 | |
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone | 2001 | |
Justice League | 2002 | |
Justice League | 2024 | |
Justice League Unlimited | 2004 | |
Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole | 2010 | |
Looney Tunes/DC Comics | 2023 | |
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring [69] | 2001 | |
Pokémon: Detective Pikachu | 2019 | |
The Powerpuff Girls | 2002 | |
Superman: The Animated Series | 1996 | |
Superman Returns | 2006 | |
The Scooby-Doo Movie | 2002 | |
Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed | 2004 | |
Scooby-Doo | 1996 | |
Tom and Jerry | 2014 | Also in 2024 |
Wild Wild West | 1999 | |
Wonder Woman 1984 | 2019 | |
Yogi Bear | 2010 |
Name | Date | Notes |
---|---|---|
Hamtaro | 2003 |
Name | Date | Notes |
---|---|---|
The Addams Family | 2024 | |
ALF | 1988 | |
Alpha and Omega | 2010 | |
Archie Comics | 1991 | |
Beyblade | 2003 | |
Bratz | 2006 | |
Captain Planet and the Planeteers | 1991 | |
Care Bears | 2005 | |
The Chipmunk Adventure | 1987 | |
Chub City | 2007 | |
Crayola Bears | 1986 | |
The Dark Crystal | 1989 | |
Groovy Girls | 2007 | |
Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil | 2010 | |
Inspector Gadget | 1991 | |
Kids Discover | 2013 | |
Masters of the Universe | 1985 | |
Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir | 2022 | |
Monster Jam | 2009 | |
Neopets | 2008 | |
Nerfuls | 1985 | |
Peanuts/Snoopy | 2008 | |
Purr-tenders [70] | 1988 | |
Rodney and Friends | 1987 | |
Scholastic | 2021 | |
Teletubbies [71] [72] | 1999 | |
U.S. Figure Skating | 2006 |
In 1984, a commercial was produced featuring a smiling, cardigan-clad Mister Rogers impersonator touting the superiority of Burger King burgers over the competition. The man himself, who believed in never advertising to children and who was a staunch vegetarian, took issue with the spot and quickly called up Burger King's CEO, stating that young children would find it confusing and that it went against his principles and beliefs. He politely requested that the commercial be pulled from the airwaves and the company promptly complied.
main article: Where's Herb
The Where's Herb? ad campaign ran in 1985 and 1986. The television commercials featured a rather nerdy character named Herb, who was described as never having eaten a Whopper in his life. Advertisements called on fans to visit their local Burger King in the hope of finding Herb and winning a prize. The campaign also included an "I'm not Herb" promotion, in which customers could get a discounted Whopper by including the phrase in their order.
Burger King Corporation is an American multinational chain of hamburger fast food restaurants. Headquartered in Miami-Dade County, Florida, the company was founded in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida–based restaurant chain. After Insta-Burger King ran into financial difficulties, its two Miami-based franchisees David Edgerton (1927–2018) and James McLamore (1926–1996) purchased the company in 1959 and renamed it "Burger King". Over the next half-century, the company changed hands four times and its third set of owners, a partnership between TPG Capital, Bain Capital, and Goldman Sachs Capital Partners, took it public in 2002. In late 2010, 3G Capital of Brazil acquired a majority stake in the company in a deal valued at US$3.26 billion. The new owners promptly initiated a restructuring of the company to reverse its fortunes. 3G, along with its partner Berkshire Hathaway, eventually merged the company with the Canadian-based doughnut chain Tim Hortons under the auspices of a new Canadian-based parent company named Restaurant Brands International.
The Whopper is the signature hamburger and an associated product line sold by the international fast food restaurant chain Burger King and its Australian franchise Hungry Jack's. Introduced in 1957, the hamburger has undergone several reformulations, including changes to portion size and bread used. The hamburger is well known in the fast food industry, with Burger King advertising itself as "the Home of the Whopper" and naming its kiosk stores the BK Whopper Bar. In response to the Whopper, Burger King's competitors have developed similar products designed to compete against it.
Hungry Jack's Pty Ltd. is an Australian fast food franchise of the Burger King Corporation. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Competitive Foods Australia, a privately held company owned by Jack Cowin. Hungry Jack's owns and operates or sub-licenses all of the Burger King/Hungry Jack's restaurants in Australia.
The Subservient Chicken is an advertising program created to promote international fast food restaurant chain Burger King's TenderCrisp chicken sandwich and their "Have it Your Way" campaign. Created for the Miami-based advertising firm Crispin Porter + Bogusky (CP+B) by The Barbarian Group, the program featured a viral marketing website, television and print campaigns and a one-time pay-per-view program. The program was similar to other marketing campaigns created by CP+B for Burger King, including the Coq Roq, Ugoff, and Sith Sense.
The TenderCrisp is a chicken sandwich sold by international fast-food restaurant chain Burger King and its Australian franchisee, Hungry Jack's. It is one of their "indulgent" products.
The Burger King is a king character used as the primary mascot for the fast-food restaurant chain of the same name. The first iteration of the Burger King was part of a sign at the first Burger King restaurant in Miami, Florida, in 1955. Later signs showed the King sitting on a "burger throne" as well as atop the BK sign while holding a beverage. In the early 1970s, Burger King started using a small and animated version of the King in its children's advertising, voiced by Allen Swift. In 1976, the original animated King was replaced by the "Marvelous Magical Burger King" which was a red-bearded and Tudor-era king who ruled the Burger King Kingdom and performed magic tricks that were mostly sleight-of-hand but sometimes relied on camera tricks or involved his "Magic Ring" which could summon copious amounts of food. The Burger King Kingdom advertisements were discontinued in the late 1980s in favor of the BK Kids Club Gang and other advertising programs.
A value menu is a group of menu items at a fast food restaurant that are designed to be the least expensive items available. In the US, the items are usually priced between $0.99 and $2.99. The portion size, and number of items included with the food, are typically related to the price.
The Big King sandwich is one of the major hamburger products sold by the international fast-food restaurant chain Burger King, and was part of its menu for more than twenty years. As of March 2019, it is sold in the United States under its 1997 Big King XL formulation. During its testing phase in 1996–1997, it was originally called the Double Supreme and was configured similarly to the McDonald's Big Mac—including a three-piece roll. It was later reformulated as a more standard double burger during the latter part of product testing in 1997. It was given its current name when the product was formally introduced in September 1997, but maintained the more conventional double cheeseburger format.
BK Tee Vee was Burger King's MTV-inspired advertising campaign from 1991 to 1993.
BK Chicken Fries are a fried chicken product sold by the international fast-food restaurant chain Burger King. At the time of their introduction in 2005, the company had intended Chicken Fries to be one of their larger, adult-oriented products made with higher-quality ingredients than their standard menu items. Additionally, the product further targeted the snacking and convenience food markets with a specific packaging design that was intended to be easier to handle and fit into automotive cup holders. The product was part of a series of product introductions designed to expand Burger King's menu with both more sophisticated fare and present a larger, meatier product that appealed to 24- to 36-year-old males. Along with this series of larger, more complex menu products, the company intended to attract a larger, more affluent adult audience who would be willing to spend more on the better-quality products. They were discontinued in the United States in 2012, but continued to be sold in some markets, such as Italy. In August 2014, they were reintroduced for a limited-time offering (LTO) in North America, leading to their permanent re-addition to the menu in March 2015 in over 30 countries globally.
The Burger King Specialty Burgers are a line of burgers developed by the international fast-food restaurant chain Burger King in 1978 and introduced in 1979 as part of a new product line designed to expand Burger King's menu with more sophisticated, adult oriented fare beyond hamburgers. Additionally, the new line was intended to differentiate the company from other fast food hamburger restaurants at the time. Since the line's introduction, the other burgers have been discontinued, leaving the chicken offering, the Original Chicken Burger, as the primary product left. Additionally, other burgers that utilize the same roll as the chicken burger have been introduced to the company's menu both domestically and internationally since the original product line was introduced.
Since it was founded in 1954, international fast food chain Burger King has employed many advertising programs. During the 1970s, its advertisements included a memorable jingle, the inspiration for its current 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. From the early 1980s until approximately 2002, Burger King engaged a series of advertising agencies that produced many unsuccessful slogans and programs, including its least successful campaign, Where's Herb?.
As far back as the 1970s, international fast food restaurant chain Burger King has attempted to introduce a premium line of burgers. These sandwiches are part of a system which eventually became known as the barbell strategy; a plan designed to expand Burger King's menu with both more sophisticated, adult-oriented fare along with products that are more value-oriented. This program is intended to bring in a larger, more affluent adult audience who will be willing to spend more on the better quality products on one side while maintaining a lower cost value menu dedicated to a more cost-conscious audience on the other. The hope is that the customers would be drawn in initially for the lower prices of the value-menu and upgrade to the more expensive products, upping overall sales.
When the predecessor of international fast food restaurant chain Burger King (BK) first opened in 1953, its menu predominantly consisted of hamburgers, French fries, soft drinks, milkshakes, and desserts. After being acquired by its Miami, Florida franchisees and renamed in 1954, BK began expanding its menu by adding the Whopper sandwich in 1957, and has since added non-beef items such as chicken, fish, and vegetarian offerings, including salads and meatless sandwiches. Other additions include a breakfast menu and beverages such as Icees, juices, and bottled waters. As the company expanded both inside and outside the United States, it introduced localized versions of its products that conform to regional tastes and cultural or religious beliefs. To generate additional sales, BK occasionally introduces limited-time offers of special versions of its products, or brings out completely new products intended for either long- or short-term sales. Not all of these products and services have been successful; in 1992, Burger King introduced limited table service featuring special dinner platters, but this concept failed to generate interest and was discontinued.
Where's Herb? was an advertising campaign for the fast food chain Burger King that ran in 1985 and 1986. The television commercials featured a fictional character named Herb, who was described as never having eaten a Whopper in his life. Advertisements called on fans to visit their local Burger King in the hope of finding Herb and winning a prize. The campaign also included an "I'm not Herb" promotion, in which customers could get a discounted Whopper by including the phrase in their order. This confused people who tried to follow the promotion because they did not know what Herb looked like. By the time his appearance was revealed, many people had already lost interest in the campaign. The promotion was poorly received and was the last campaign that the J. Walter Thompson agency designed for Burger King.
Burger King Dinner Baskets were a series of products introduced in 1993 by the international fast-food restaurant chain Burger King. The products were designed to add appeal to families and customers looking for a "higher class" meal found in family style restaurants.
The Burger wars are a series of off-and-on comparative advertising campaigns consisting of mutually-targeted advertisements that highlight the intense competition between hamburger fast food chains McDonald's, Wendy's, Burger King and others in the United States. The term first came into use during the late 1970s due to an attempt by Burger King to generate increased market and mind-share by attacking the size of bigger rival McDonald's hamburgers.
The fast-food restaurant chain Burger King was the first major fast food chain to introduce a grilled chicken burger to the marketplace, in 1990, six months before Wendy's and four years before McDonald's. Since then, Burger King, and its Australian franchise Hungry Jack's have offered a variety of grilled chicken burgers, as have Wendy's and McDonald's.
International fast-food restaurant chain Burger King and its Australian franchise Hungry Jack's have had a variety of fish sandwiches in their product portfolio since 1975. The Whaler sandwich was the first iteration, designed to compete with rival burger-chain McDonald's Filet-O-Fish sandwich. With the addition of the company's Specialty Sandwich line in 1978, the sandwich was reformulated as the Long Fish sandwich. With the discontinuation of the Specialty Sandwich line, the sandwich was returned to its original recipe and name. With the introduction of the company's BK Broiler chicken sandwich in 1990, the fish sandwich became tied to the development cycle of the broiled chicken sandwich and was again reformulated and renamed as the Ocean Catch Fish fillet. When the broiled chicken sandwich underwent another reformulation in 2002, the fish sandwich was also redone and renamed as the BK Big Fish sandwich. By 2015, the sandwich had undergone several more modifications and went through a series of names including the BK Fish and Premium Alaskan fish sandwich. It is currently sold as the BK Big Fish sandwich in the United States and Canada. Internationally the fish sandwich is also known as the BK Fish, BK Fish'n Crisp burger, Fish King and Fish Royale in those markets.
The image-building effort centered on a youth-oriented campaign by D.M.B. & B. that imitated the rapid-fire pace and irreverence of MTV. Not only did the television commercials use the slogan "BK Tee Vee," they featured Dan Cortese, a hunky MTV host, as the pitchman.
In the U.S., the company said its marketing campaigns with "The Simpsons Movie" and "Transformers" drove sales of the Ultimate DoubleWhopper sandwich.
The nation's No. 2 quick-service chain had been a nonexclusive DreamWork's partner for the two previous "Shrek" films and last fall's popular "Shark Tale" movie.
Marketers love 'Shrek,' 'Spider-Man'