BK Looks to Rain on Big Mac Parade - Burger King, Big Mac anniversary marketing rivalry

Brandweek, Sept 7, 1998 by Theresa^Lefton Howard Terry

Burger King will return to the gridiron to try to sack McDonald's broad-based Big Mac 30th anniversary promotional push, BK again tapping top college football coaches to tout a buy-one-get-one deal on its Mackiller sandwich, the Big King.

BK will use the Big King to try to steal some thunder from McD's signature burger bash, with ads that will revive the Big Mac's classic jingle ("twoallbeef-pattiesspecialsaucelettucecheese etc.") and a sweepstakes that will dangle prizes hearkening back to 1968, including Volkswagen Beetles. BK later this month will counter with its own national ad blitz, via Ammirati Puris Lintas, N.Y., tapping spokes-coaches Bobby Bowden of Florida State and Doug Williams of Grambling to push the Big King offer, with ABC's NCAA football play-by-play man Keith Jackson doing voiceovers for both TV and radio.

BK's college football push will break Sept. 14 and is expected to run through Oct. 8, including Hispanic and African American components, hammering its "It just tastes better" brand theme with char-broiled quality of the Big King, which is basically constituted of the same components as a Big Mac. Integrated Sports International, East Rutherford, N.J., brokered Bowden and Williams into the campaign.

McDonald's "Get Back with Big Mac" national sweepstakes hits Sept. 16 with ads by DDB Needham, Chicago; Burrell, Chicago; and DRM. The "peel-and-win" contest that adheres winning tickets to cups, features a roster of new-and-old paired prizes such as a 1968 and 1998 VW Beetle; a 1968 and 1998 Gibson Les Paul Guitar. Other prizes include a Wurlitzer Juke Box and Sony 2000 CD stereo. Food prizes include product discounts for 49-cent Big Macs, 49-cent Egg McMuffins and 10-cent regular size sodas. The Big Mac is expected to sell at a promotional price of 99 cents for the duration of the anniversary push, which runs through Oct. 6. The ads also introduce the winner in the Golden Arches nationwide search of the country's "Big Mac" capital.