Coke vs. Pepsi. Nike vs. Adidas. Drake vs. Kendrick. And of course: McDonald’s vs. Burger King.
The burger wars – a rivalry that has played out for decades through ads, billboards and social media – had been relatively quiet recently. That changed when a short video from Burger King’s U.S. president went viral, gently poking fun at a widely shared McDonald’s promotional video for its new Big Arch burger.
In the original clip, McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski appeared in a staged taste-test video promoting the product, quite frankly, came across as awkward and a little too C-Suitesque. McDonald’s had the right intention: go for real, unscripted, raw footage, but it just didn’t translate. Burger King quickly responded with a video that appeared to be thrown together in seconds, showing its president taking a big bite of a Whopper and joking that the only thing missing was a napkin.
Here are lessons we can all take away, no matter how big or small our business may be:
Reactivity beats planning
The Burger King video wasn’t a big campaign, it was fast commentary on something already trending.
Lesson:
Have a “rapid response” content system in your marketing team.
Example playbook:
- Monitor social chatter
- Create quick-response content within hours
- Post before the conversation dies
This is often called “newsjacking.”
Authenticity > production quality
People mocked McDonald’s video because it felt corporate and staged.
Burger King’s response felt human and playful.
Consumers now respond more to:
- raw
- casual
- slightly imperfect content
High production value can actually reduce trust.
Conflict is shareable
Rivalries are one of the most reliable viral mechanics. Just look at Marks & Spencer versus Aldi. Sure, this is a mostly one-sided battle, with Aldi’s cheeky quips and one-liners mostly ignored by the high-brow M&S social team, but the internet absolutely loves storylines.
Marketing insight: as a small business, you don’t have to pick a fight with the big guys.
Create a narrative tension:
- brand vs competitor
- brand vs problem
- brand vs stereotype
A simple framework you can apply this week:
When you see a viral moment ask:
- What tension or narrative made this shareable?
- Was it reacting to culture or creating culture?
- Could this have been posted faster or simpler?
- Does it feel human or corporate?
