Abstract

This case is about US-based fast food giant Burger King Corporation’s (Burger King) ‘Whopper Freakout’ campaign that was launched to celebrate the Whopper’s 50th anniversary at Burger King, in December 2007. This was also a bid to know whether the Whopper was America’s favorite burger. The campaign was launched with the aim of increasing Whopper sales and encouraging customers to consume the Whopper more often than they already did. The main part of the campaign was the viral marketing component. It was backed by other promotional elements such as TV advertisements, print, and online ads. The campaign generated a lot of buzz among the target consumers consisting of a young net savvy population and quickly spread through word-of-mouth marketing. It was considered by experts as an iconic viral marketing campaign that helped Burger King increase the sales of its mature brand, the Whopper.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Understand the issues and challenges in launching a viral marketing campaign
• Analyze the ‘Whopper Freakout’ marketing campaign
• In the context of the case study, discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using a viral marketing campaign. Understand the increasing importance of viral marketing and word-of-mouth marketing in marketing a product Explore ways in which the company c

Keywords

Marketing Campaign, Viral Marketing, Word-Of-Mouth Marketing, Customer Loyalty, Brand Awareness, Deprivation Studies, Market Research, Social Networking, Advertising, Branding, Whooper Freakout, Subservient Chicken, Whopper Virgin, Whopper Sacrifice, Burger King, Wendy's, McDonald's