Cannes Lions

Whopper Heist

WE BELIEVERS, New York / BURGER KING / 2022

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Overview

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Credits

Overview

Background

Netflix’s most important Spanish-language title of the year was about to premiere its last season, so co-branding was essential.

Burger King had to generate an idea that would help restaurant traffic, increase app downloads, and generate engagement with the target.

Idea

Burger King and Netflix brought together their two most iconic products: the Whopper and Money Heist. Using Near Field Communication (NFC), we created an experience so that everyone could join the gang of thieves and steal a burger– with only their smartphones. We seeded hundreds of OOHs with thousands of Whoppers that people could steal from the digital billboards and then redeem at a Burger King.

When someone walked up to one of our billboards and tapped the Whopper with their phone,

the NFC chip inside the sign sent a signal to the server to make the burger appear on the smartphone and disappear on the sign immediately.

Through the Burger King app, we let people know how many Whoppers were left and where they were located. When they were near a Whopper still available to be stolen, the app sent them a notification.

Strategy

We uniquely modified Digital Out of Homes so users could interact directly with OOH ads by simply bringing their smartphone closer, using Near Field Communication (NFC) technology. Upon connecting with the phone, the NFC device signaled to the server to make the burger disappear on the digital OOH and appear on the smartphone, giving users a reason to download the app and engage with the brand.

Execution

We used existing digital OOHs in Buenos Aires in a way that they have never been used before.

The OOH at first glance seemed normal, but when you got closer and put the phone on the Whopper, the magic happened. How did we do it? By using an NFC (near field communication) device that, upon connecting with the phone, signals to the server to make the burger disappear on the digital OOH and immediately appear on the smartphone.

The campaign ran from October 15th to November 2nd, 2021.

The day people were finally able to participate and steal Whoppers was on November 2nd.

Outcome

Originally conceived as a 1-week promo, people stole the entire stock of Whoppers in 2 days. In addition, the campaign yielded a +49.5 % increase in weekly downloads and +25.3% increase in mobile unit sales per store.

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