Brief:

• Burger King will advertise during the Super Bowl after a 12-year absence, teasing its return with a video on its YouTube channel. The burger chain partnered with food-delivery app DoorDash to let customers order a "Mystery Box" that they need to keep until the big game on Feb. 3, according to a statement shared with Mobile Marketer.​
• To participate, DoorDash customers need to enter the promo code MYSTERYBOX on all orders of $10 or more from participating Burger King restaurants. The Mystery Box will arrive with instructions to follow as Burger King prepares to air a 45-second commercial during the Super Bowl.​
• As part of the campaign, DoorDash is offering free delivery from Burger King from Jan. 24 through Feb. 4, the day after the Super Bowl.

Insight:

Burger King's Mystery Box campaign is a good way for the company to stand out amid the frenzy of Super Bowl ad season. The mysterious activation could increase engagement beyond the normal buzz of a Super Bowl ad. By partnering with DoorDash, the burger chain can reach a broader group of customers who may not have tried home delivery from its restaurants as it competes with archrival McDonald's in mobile delivery. Similarly, DoorDash benefits from a partnership with a major fast food chain as it faces off against competitors Uber Eats and GrubHub.

The campaign shows how Burger King is deepening its marketing relationship with DoorDash. The burger chain in November partnered with DoorDash on the introduction of the "Dogpper," a bone-shaped dog treat with flame-grilled beef flavor. The Dogpper promotion came a few weeks after the companies partnered on a tie-in with Activision for the launch of hit videogame "Call of Duty: Black Ops 4."

Burger King has sought to engage mobile users with innovative campaigns including its "Whopper Detour" conquesting stunt last month that spurred more than 1 million downloads of its app. The burger chain offered 1-cent Whoppers to smartphone users who went within 600 feet of most McDonald's locations and ordered from the upgraded Burger King app. After customers placed an order, the app navigated them away from McDonald's and toward the nearest Burger King to pick up their food within an hour.