Tatiana Tenreyro
McDonald’s latest promo video went awry, but Burger King stepped in to show them how to do it right. Here’s how the fast-food giant’s misstep led to redemption for its struggling competitor.
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It started with a now-infamous video shared by McDonald’s CEO
In an Instagram Reel that went viral this week, McDonald’s CEO and president Chris Kempczinski sits in a brightly lit office, trying the new Big Arch, the biggest burger yet from the leading fast-food franchise.
Kempczinski seemed to follow a pre-written spiel, harping on how much he loves this “product.” “It is so good,” he says in monotone, not convincing anyone. To pretend to be the least bit enthusiastic, he assures that while he was doing a “taste test,” he was “going to eat this for lunch, just so you know.” When Kempczinski finally takes a bite of his “product,” it’s tiny. So small that you can barely see bite marks on the burger.
“That’s a big bite for a Big Arch,” he announces while showing off his barely nibbled burger.
Once the video, published on Kempczinski’s personal account, spread online, brands chimed in, mocking Kempczinski’s puny bite. “Gonna start test driving our cars 1 metre at a time,” the official account for Mini Coopers commented, while Wendy’s teased its competitor by remarking, “lots to unpack here.”
“Is the big bite in the room with us?” questioned the account for Wing Stop Canada. But the most scalding comment came from Burger King UK: “We couldn’t finish it either.” Of course, Burger King didn’t stop there, reigning supreme in this battle of burger restaurant CEOs.
How did Burger King respond to the McDonald’s CEO’s video?
In the viral clip shared on social media on Tuesday, Burger King showed its president, Tom Curtis, visiting what appears to be his company’s test kitchen and taking a sizable bite out of a Whopper. Unlike Kempczinski, Curtis looked genuinely thrilled to do so, probably because he understands that he has one of the coolest jobs ever. With mayonnaise on his lips, Curtis quipped, “Only one thing missing: a napkin.”
The post was captioned, “Thought we’d replay this.”
You can see how polar opposite the burger boss’s approaches were in a side-by-side video shared on the pop culture subreddit r/FauxMoi. Many commented on Kempczinski’s lack of charisma, and while some pointed out that some CEOs get nervous when doing on-camera work because they’re not used to it, he could at least make it look like he was enjoying the burger. The use of the word “product” also unsurprisingly rubbed people the wrong way because it’s such an impersonal and awkward way to refer to a newly-introduced item that’s supposed to be a groundbreaking addition to the menu.
Did Burger King film that clip to poke fun at McDonald’s?
While the timing worked out, the video was not made to call out McDonald’s. In a statement shared with NBC News, a Burger King spokesperson said, “We can confirm that this video was not created in reaction to anything. While the timing may seem quick, the video was part of ongoing efforts to spotlight the recently elevated Whopper and Tom’s direct engagement with Guests.”
While Kempczinski could have looked a bit more enthusiastic about giving the Big Arch a go, we don’t blame him for not wanting to take more than a small bite — we thought it was too damn much for a burger, making it McDonald’s messiest burger yet.
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