PPB January 2021

BRANDABLE Burger King Shows Solidarity (Again) The French division of the fast-food giant encourages consumers to “Order from McDonald’s” and other eateries, fast-food or otherwise, to support the restaurant industry. Recently, Burger King Finland launched a harmonious campaign to support Helsinki Pride, showing a character rendering of an embrace between McDonald’s mascot Ronald McDonald and the Burger King. Now, Burger King France—which has nearly 350 restaurants nationwide—has followed suit, showing the same support for rival McDonald’s and the food industry in general. The ad, “Order from McDonald’s,” which ran in French national newspapers and was shared on social media, encourages residents of France to order from all restaurants, fast-food or otherwise. Part of the ad reads: “We never thought we’d be asking you to do this, but restaurants employing thousands of staff really need your support at the moment. So, if you want to help, keep treating yourself to tasty meals through home delivery, takeaway or drive through. Getting a Whopper is always best, but ordering a Big Mac is also not such a bad thing.” The campaign was announced via Twitter by Burger King France (@BurgerKingFrance) during the beginning of France’s second round of national lockdowns, which was projected to remain in effect until early December. It was subsequently supported and shared by Burger King UK (@BurgerKingUK) three days before England entered into its second lockdown, which closed all restaurant dine-in services through December 5, 2020. Burger King UK, which operates 350 stores, has also announced plans to close one in 10 of its locations due to financial strain caused by the pandemic, according to England’s The Independent , resulting in the loss of 800 to 1,600 jobs. According to Fox News , as of November 2, 2020, Burger King’s “Order from McDonald’s” memo was liked more than 52,000 times on Twitter. Keith Homan / Shutterstock.com 62 | JANUARY 2021 | THINK