Brief:
- Burger King is offering free Whopper sandwiches to students who can answer questions about school subjects to unlock promotional codes for its BK App, per an announcement shared with Mobile Marketer.
- From today (April 13) through April 20, the burger chain will post questions about subjects including math, biology, chemistry and literature to its Facebook and Instagram accounts. Students must enter their answers to the questions in the BK App to redeem the free Whopper with any purchase.
- The free offer is limited to one for each student who enters on the BK App. The contest is open to registered customers in the U.S., except for Alaska and Hawaii, ages 18 and older, while customers ages 13 to 18 need parental consent, per its announcement.
Insight:
Burger King's promotion aims to reward students who may be using distance-learning methods to continue their education following widespread school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic. Social distancing has made teens and young adults more dependent on their mobile devices to stay connected with the outside world, and Burger King can participate in those conversations with its free Whopper challenge. The promotion also can help to drive downloads of the BK App as the burger chain emphasizes drive-thru and delivery services while dining rooms remain closed.
The promotion coincides with its "Stay Home of the Whopper" campaign that launched last week to urge people to stay indoors during the pandemic and to use its BK App for mobile orders. Burger King waived its delivery fee on orders over $10 on its app as part of the campaign, which implores customers to be "couch po-ta-triots" in a lighthearted twist.
The chain also donated 250,000 Whoppers to nurses by sharing order codes with them through the American Nurses Foundation, a gesture that demonstrates Burger King's commitment to helping people to weather the health crisis. More than half of consumers are happy to hear how brands are helping out communities in response to the coronavirus pandemic, according to a recent study by the 4As.
Burger King is among the restaurants brands that have quickly revamped their marketing efforts to connect with homebound consumers and boost their food delivery services. Sports bar chain Buffalo Wild Wings last week hosted a H-O-R-S-E competition on its Twitch channel to entertain customers who miss watching live sports as professional leagues suspend or cancel their seasons. McDonald's, which experienced a 22% drop in same-store sales last month from a year earlier amid dining room closures, reconfigured its logo to separate its iconic golden arches as part of its messaging to emphasize social distancing.
