Without the use of traffic and drivers’ real-time data, as well historical traffic data analysis, this whole idea of a new food delivery service would have never been possible. The Traffic Jam Whopper uses real-time data to identify our hungry drivers stuck in a traffic jam, to offer them a Whopper, allow them to order quickly, and track their car to deliver on the move. Through real-time data, we enhanced the lives of those hungry drivers spending up to 5 hours a day stuck in Mexico’s traffic.

The business challenge was the brief: 70% of the growth in Food Service in the next five years will come from delivery (Source: Euromonitor). For Burger King to continue to grow, becoming a leader in delivery with innovative solutions is a top priority. We had to go beyond what other fast-food chains can do using third-party solutions such as UberEats. We had to deliver food in a way no brand has done before. But in Mexico City, the traffic is the worst in the world (according to the latest TomTom Global Traffic index). People spend up to 5 hours in their daily commute-- meaning they are not in their houses or offices to order delivery. This was a badass delivery opportunity for Burger King because for the first time ever, people stuck in traffic were able to order a Whopper and get it while they were on the move.

The Traffic Jam Whopper. We used real-time data to detect our potential buyers in a traffic jam in order to offer them a Whopper and deliver on the move.

We used 100% dynamic, data-driven media to promote our service, only in high congestion zones. By leveraging traffic and drivers’ real-time data, we adjusted our billboards’ location and content, displaying information about the remaining time in traffic to order, and personalized updates about deliveries in progress.

As soon as drivers entered our delivery zones, Waze banners ads and push notifications invited them to get a Whopper with our hands-free Voice-activated ordering feature. Then, using the latest Google Maps API’s, we pinpointed vehicle location and speed in order to deliver-- for the first time ever-- to a driver on the move. The delivery zones changed following the traffic live, making our service available when a gridlock was identified within a 3 km radius from the restaurants.

First, we analyzed historical Waze data from Mexico, such as average speed, journey length, possible deviations from main streets and distance from BK restaurants, to identify ideal locations and times of the day where delivery to cars stuck in traffic was doable. To fulfill deliveries in less than 30 minutes, we targeted drivers within a 3-kilometer radius of participating restaurants and used real-time traffic data to determine zones where the service would be available to activate or deactivate, adapting live to daily traffic variation. The billboards were placed only in high congestion zones. We also incorporated customer-provided data into the billboards to accomplish two things: 1) Make people aware that they had entered a traffic jam and of the remaining time they would be stuck in traffic, so they could order; and 2) Give real-time updates to customers waiting for their order. The Traffic Jam service was part of the new BK mobile app, allowing us to use customer’s location data from their mobile phones. Finally, using the latest google maps APIs, we pinpointed the vehicle location to track their routes in real-time while our staff scrambled through traffic to find them and deliver on the move.

The creative use of data allowed BK to deliver for the first time to a moving target. Data made it possible to determine viable delivery areas, real-time customer tracking, and a navigation interface through the new BK mobile app for our delivery guys to follow and intercept our consumer as they moved through traffic.

Real time data from traffic and our consumer allowed us to deploy live dynamic OOH and mobile messaging experience for our consumers, only in high congestion zones. By leveraging traffic and drivers’ real-time data, we adjusted our billboard’s location and content. The messages displayed information about the remaining time in traffic to order and personalized updates about deliveries in progress.

Waze banners ads and push notifications invited drivers to get a Whopper as soon as they entered our delivery zones. People were able to use voice commands to place the order and avoid tickets. The delivery zones changed following the traffic live. We made our service available when a gridlock was identified, always within a 3 km radius of the restaurants.

In the program’s first week, participating restaurants saw a 63% average daily increase in delivery orders.*

In fewer than 30 days, BK app downloads DOUBLED the brand’s 2018 total, and daily App downloads increased 44 times, becoming the #1 Fast Food App, surpassing McDonalds, Domino’s & Starbucks in Mexico.**

A whopping 10% of consumers who downloaded the app registered for the Traffic Jam service, providing email, car model and license plates, AND credit card information.*

We set a new benchmark for the Burger King system as a whole with an average delivery time of 11 minutes-- less than half of the 30 minutes originally allotted delivery time.*

The promo success led the brand to implement it in other cities with high traffic density later this year. Coming soon to Sao Paulo, Los Angeles and Shanghai.

*Source: BK Internal Data

**Source: Firebase