No one likes a party pooper, especially a self-righteous one. We’re talking to you, Steve Easterbrook, CEO of McDonalds.
In the spirit of peace (and really good PR), Burger King recently launched a very public an effort to bring the two fast food chains together for World Peace Day on Sept. 21.
The one-day truce involved collaborating on a Whopper/Big Mac mashup called the McWhopper, sold only at a special pop-up restaurant in Atlanta (a diplomatic half-way point between McDonald’s Illinois headquarters and BK’s Florida headquarter).
Patrons would pay for the hybrid burger by “declaring their own truces” on paper tray mats. Adorbs.
Win-win, right?
But in a PR flub of #epicfail proportions, Easterbrook cooly dismissed on the tongue-in-cheek idea on the McDonald’s Facebook page.
Wait, what?
That was one of the most tone-deaf responses we’ve ever heard. Don’t you have people to stop you from saying stupid stuff like that? Hint: The internet now hates you (and no, “likes” don’t mean people like your response).
Here’s where McDonald’s missed a huge opportunity (and BK won)–because exactly how many of us actually knew that there was such a thing as World Peace Day? We do now. And how many of us are planning to do anything meaningful to celebrate it? (Bumperstickers don’t count, nor do Facebook “likes” of someone else’s heartfelt action).
Burger King got that. Their PR effort (and trust us, there were several agencies involved, so it’s not all unicorns and rainbows) focused on making a very serious movement approachable in a fun and doable way.
The McWhopper website described the stunt as an attempt “to get the world talking about Peace Day.”
Mission accomplished. And PS, I now really like the BK brand a lot more.
Sorry, Mr. CEO who makes a $1.1 million salary annually, but for the average person, eating a burger and contemplating peace for a few minutes with their friends and family is “meaningful” and just might “make a difference”. It’s an actionable, feel-good step that we’ll talk about and enjoy. I know that a lot of my “teachable moments” with my kids happen at the table, organically, no matter what we’re eating.
So we say, next time, think small, Steve. And don’t McChicken out, because a McWhopper sounds pretty good, especially with a side of Peace.
The Cow Demographic says “A pox on both their houses.”
Understandable after reading the recent Consumer Reports piece on hamburger
Thank you. This was a nice summary of a recent interesting event semi-related to food. I liked the sense of humor.
Is this some sort of joke?
you have no idea who I am and why I’m related to the pd but feel obligated to insult me.
#rofl #shakethatfist
Cannot believe this constitutes a worthy topic for publication. Journalist in the past at least tried to feign intelligence. Now its okay to show just just how dumb one is by exposing readers to the banality of mediocrity. To The Press Democrat owners, if you have any respect left for your paper consider a new approach.
A double Western bacon Whopper would be better anyway…
Ah, come on. This was a slick effort by BK to get free publicity at McDonald’s expense. Up or down, BK gets the credit. As to just what Peace Day is, who knows? Any money raised for peace, who knows? As to who wrote this story, who knows? I know one thing, though, the PD needs to disassociate itself from Bite Club Eats. com
Yes. Let’s agree that meditating for a few minutes on the concept of peace is something. But would that occur because you wrote a truce to a friendly competition between McDonald’s and Burger King–while eating a collaborated hamburger.
Steve Easterbrook, CEO of McDonald’s, does not buy into media hype when he states that between businesses there is friendly competition and certainly not equal to the pain and suffering that occurs in war. It fact the action of signing a truce on a paper lining a plastic tray trivializes the real concept of peace.
Your response to Steve Easterbrook’s grown up response says it all…now the Internet hates you too.
Why does that sound like an eighth grade playground taunt?