The Whopper Detour, brought to us by FCB New York, is what we live for as creatives. Effectively, this glorified coupon more than doubled Burger King’s mobile sales. They told customers to go to McDonald’s and download the Burger King app, order a 1 ¢ Whopper, then go to Burger King to pick it up.
What I love about this campaign is the drama. It gets you thinking “wow, did Burger King really just own McDonald’s like that?” They perfectly executed digital marketing in a really unapologetic way. Creativity can fall flat on the digital side by getting overly complicated, The Whopper Detour is personal, differentiating, and “Pokemon Go”-kind-of fun.
At the same time, it is traditional. By walking over to McDonald’s, you have earned your Whopper coupon. Just like standing outside the competition’s store and directing them away, but more magical.
Fernando Machado, global CMO of Burger King, said it best: “that’s the power of an idea.” Because of FCB NY’s creativity, this wasn’t just some smug attempt to get customers away from McDonald’s. It “bent logic” and made the Whopper the people’s priority.
Sydney Ingrassia 
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