#TBT: BK Helped Moviegoers Sneak Burgers into Theatres

Up until March 2018, Peruvian moviegoers weren’t allowed to bring their own food and beverages inside a movie theater. Yet, a resolution by the National Institute for the Defense of Free Competition and Protection of Intellectual Property changed this, allowing cinephiles to enter the halls with their food. There was only one rule, though: The snacks and drinks had to be similar to those sold by the cinemas’ stands.

This change in the law made Burger King Peru have a light-bulb moment. Together with McCann Lima, the fast-food brand transformed the law into a marketing and communication opportunity, using it to promote its star product, the Whopper. During this week’s #ThrowBrandThursday, we are going to have a look into BK’s “King Popcorn” campaign, an initiative through which the brand simply hacked the Peruvian law.

Through the activation, BK sold the burger and French fries packed in a popcorn bag specially designed to camouflage its contents. As the appearance of the bag was pretty similar to the one usually sold in theatres, it was easy for consumers to sneak the delicious snack into the hall. Even though theatres realized what the brand was doing, trying to boycott the action, BK managed to be in the spotlight.

Christian Caldwell, Chief Creative Officer at McCann Lima, said: “The idea was to hack a law that’s a little absurd. The ‘King Popcorn,’ in fact, has only a lid with a small amount of popcorn inside and then a hidden Whopper and fries. This allows consumers to enter the cinema and enjoy their favorite Burger King meal.”

You’d think that BK isn’t afraid of anything when it comes to advertising. Well, according to CMO Fernando Machado, “We are afraid all the f***ing time. The only difference is that we do it even when we are afraid. And that’s the key thing. Fear and being afraid is part of the journey of doing something that’s different. And that’s what advertising is about.”

And the brand proved us that taking risks is part of who they are: They have turned to troll their rival, McDonald’s; showed us how wonderful moldy burgers can be; have become a little kinky for Valentine’s Day; and have given a real lesson to Americans about #NetNeutrality through a social experiment. The “King Popcorn” operation was a success, increasing the company’s sales by 40% throughout the activation.