Male Gen-Z Opps: Burger King partners with Google to expand digital services (Score 74)

To expand its digital ordering services, Burger King (BK) recently integrated with Google and started promoting a new value menu, which features $1 deposits, on select customers' Venmo accounts. As of December 22, 2020, searching for BK on Google Search, Google Maps or Google Pay oversees the ordering of and payment for food orders available via pickup or delivery. This service is now available at 5k+ of the company's US locations. Additionally, a Google Pay app offer provides 20% cashback on people's next $10+ BK orders.

The company plans to continue rolling out further implementations with Google in the future.

Additionally, BK is selling burgers made from cows on low-methane diet in a new sustainability effort.

The fast food chain is also focusing more on digital channels and its loyalty program, as is evident by its recent hire of digital and loyalty VP Whitney Gretz. Gretz joined in September 2020 from McDonald's, where she most recently served as senior digital customer experience director.

According to iSpot, BK's national TV commercials of 2020 targeted male sports enthusiasts viewing programs such as NFL Football, NBA Basketball, Ridiculousness, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Friends. The company spent around $358.2m on this channel last year, down % from the roughly $414.6m spent in 2019.

In 2020, Pathmatics reports BK earned ~1.6b digital impressions via Instagram (38%), Facebook (30%), desktop video (15%), Twitter (8%), desktop display (5%) and mobile display (5%) ads. It allocated an estimated $11.6m toward this channel in 2020, up % from the estimated $7.3m it allocated in 2019.

Additionally, Magellan reports the company aired approximately seven podcast ads within the past year.

As you can see, BK has lowered its national TV commercial spend in order to spend more on digital ads; this shift and its focus on paid social advertising reinforce my stance that it's primarily targeting Gen-Z. Thus, it may also invest in OTT media. Remember this target demographic skews toward male, sports-oriented audiences. Kantar data reports BK additionally utilizes OOH, print (local and national newspapers), radio and local broadcast. It has also recently shown moderate interest in APIs and services.

Agency & martech readers - Since we have not heard of any AOR shifts after BK appointed Ellie Doty as the first CMO over its North American business last summer, keep reaching out for potential work. To the best of our knowledge, BK still works with Code and Theory (creative and digital AOR), Horizon Media (media assistance), Alison Brod (PR assistance), Mediahub Boston (digital assistance), David (creative assistance) and MullenLowe Boston (creative assistance).