Burger King sets rivals' ads aflame with AR app

Brief:

Burger King is offering mobile users in Brazil a free Whopper for virtually setting fire to the ads of its rivals, The Drum reported. The burger chain's app shows a "Burn That Ad" banner that mobile users can tap while pointing their smartphone camera at the print, coupon and billboard ads from competitors like McDonald's.
As a video spot for the campaign shows, Burger King's app uses augmented reality (AR) to overlay digital images of a blazing inferno that burns away competitors' ads to reveal a mobile coupon for a free Whopper sandwich from the chain's nearest location.
Burger King expects to give away about half a million Whoppers during the campaign, which highlights the pre-ordering, payment and pickup features of BK Express. Agency David São Paulo developed the campaign for Burger King Brazil.

Insight:

Flame-grilling has always been Burger King's signature cooking technique since opening in 1954, and now the burger chain is taking that to the next level by using virtual flames to "burn" its biggest competitors. While the YouTube teaser spot doesn't specify McDonald's by name, the pixelated imagery of billboards and print ads suggests that the app campaign is directly targeting the key rival.

The AR feature is a way to engage mobile users with an amusing activity while promoting the BK Express service that lets customers skip the line and quickly pick up their food. Delivering a coupon for a free Whopper to users' phones is a creative way to encourage them to view the full virtual burn and drive more customers to Burger King locations.

Mobile-based troll campaigns have become wildly popular among fast-food restaurants like Burger King, McDonald's and Wendy's, particularly in the United States where the chains are vying to win over younger customers.

Burger King in December boosted downloads of its mobile app by 1.5 million with its "Whopper Detour" stunt campaign that used geofencing to offer 1-cent Whoppers to smartphone users who were near rival McDonald's locations. Wendy's observed National Frozen Food Day on March 6 by trolling McDonald's on Twitter. As part of the effort, Wendy's offered customers a free Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger with any purchase through its mobile app, driving more people to download and browse the app.