There are so many new players and burgeoning trends in the world of casual dining that we often lose sight of the battle that defined U.S. fast food for decades: Burger King vs. McDonald’s.
McDonald’s was always the Coke to Burger King’s Pepsi, with a bigger footprint and more omnipresent ad campaigns. But Burger King always had a few tricks up their sleeves, including their insistence that their burgers are better because they’re flame-broiled. McDonald’s, meanwhile, has stuck to their guns (grills?) and kept making burgers the same way for decades because, according to them, they prefer not to grill.
Or do they? Burger King’s latest ad campaign is a delightfully petty jab at their rival that makes things a bit personal but also really drives home their point.
Per Curbed Miami, BK can prove that McDonald’s executives prefer the taste of flame-broiled and grilled burgers because if you look at real estate listing photos from their executive’s homes, you’ll see that they own BBQ grills for just such a purpose. In each image, you see the tranquil backyard setting of the executive’s residence with a grill and the words “Flame Grilling is Hard to Resist” above it.”
The ads are not only the rare ones that make you laugh, but they also have a pretty subversive touch. Each of the photos shows a pretty fancy backyard, evoking the notion that McDonald’s is run by a bunch of rich folks who don’t actually care about their product. Whether intended or not, it gives off the sense that McDonald’s is the “elite’s” fast food, as silly as that might sound. In fact, the name of the ad campaign is “McMansions.”
Or, as a BK rep said in a statement, “It’s funny, because it’s true.”
The ads start running Wednesday in New York, Chicago, Miami, and a few other select markets.
