Burger King Brazil has cooked up a scorcher of a marketing campaign, proposing a sizzling name change for a remote group of islands in the Indian Ocean that is home to an active volcano.
The island group in question just happens to have the name of its fiercest competitor: McDonald Islands.
The latest campaign, conceived by the creative minds of DM9 Brazil, urges Whopper fans to participate in an online rebranding mission – changing the name of the island to something that truly suits it, “Whopper Island.”
Burger King is known for its flame-grilled burgers, and the Whopper is its signature product.
Oftentimes referred to be together with Heard Island, the McDonald Islands are "the only volcanically active subantarctic islands" and "one of the world’s rare pristine island ecosystems.”
It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. The volcano at McDonald Islands last erupted in 2005.
The islands were named after William McDonald, the American sailor who discovered them in 1854.
But for Burger King, this name is “the cheapest form of irony” and an “audacity” that has to be corrected because “a place with real fire cannot be called McDonald’s.”
The two-minute mockumentary-style ad starts with a nature documentary narrator highlighting the contrast between the islands’ freezing yet fiery nature.
The video opens with icebergs and glaciers in pristine blue and white. The visuals then dramatically change to the fiery orange and black of a volcano erupting and lava flowing.
The ad claims that the renaming idea began after they airdropped a bag of Whoppers to the island's sole human visitors: the dedicated team of conservationists who safeguard the fragile ecosystem.
“If anyone deserves a hot, fire-grilled burger, it’s this team that takes such good care of our volcanoes,” said Juliana Cury, chief marketing officer of Burger King.
The ad then throws down the gauntlet. Viewers are urged to join the online movement to rename the island “Whopper Island.”
Viewers are instructed to locate the island on Google Maps using its precise coordinates (53°04’35.69” S, 73°30’49.18” E) and leave a comment with the hashtag #IlhaWhopper.
“Together, we will correct this historic mistake, transforming Mcdonald’s Island into Whopper Island.”
For this digital intervention, participants stand a chance to win Whopper discount vouchers, the perfect fuel for an online revolution.
Whether the name change officially sticks or not, Burger King has successfully planted its fiery flag on this remote island, proving that sometimes, the tastiest way to win is with a perfectly grilled Whopper and a side of ingenuity and good humor.
