Burger King Shows Pride Week Support with Proud Whopper

Now we can count Burger King among the roster of brands that have come out and taken a vocal, definitive stand on equal rights. As Pride Week kicked off in San Francisco over the weekend, the burger franchise launched the Proud Whopper at one of its SF locations.

Bundled in a rainbow-colored wrapper, the Proud Whopper got consumers talking about what exactly made it different from the “normal” BK Whopper they had been planning to order. Was it an extra ingredient, a new flavor, or something taken out? Spoiler alert: there was no difference. As consumers fully unwrapped their burger, they revealed the message: “we are all the same inside.”

As you can see in the video, the impact is tangible. I cried in there because I was overwhelmed – a burger has never made me cry before,” says one consumer. “It makes me feel supported and it makes me feel proud, and it’s just a burger but it’s baby steps the whole way,” says another.

Alone it would be a sweet publicity gesture, but Burger King also went a step further and put some heft behind it by promising to donate all proceeds from its Proud Whopper sales to the Burger King McLamore Foundation for education.

This isn’t a totally out-of-the-blue gesture on Burger King’s part – actually, it’s very of a piece with the franchise’s latest branding effort that traded its 40 year old tagline “Have It Your Way” to the less aggressive and more inclusive-sounding “BE YOUR WAY.” According to Burger King execs, the new tagline that launched in May is meant to focus as much on BK’s consumer base as its food:  

“BE YOUR WAY’ is a better reflection of who we are and how we want to interact with our guests.” said Axel Schwan, Burger King Corporation Executive Vice President and Global Chief Marketing Officer. “And, the executions under BE YOUR WAY will showcase our guests being their own way in whatever iteration that may be.”

Pride Week is certainly about being your own way, and with this gesture Burger King is proving that it intends to live up to its new brand identity to the fullest. Anyone wanting to get in on the action can pick up a Proud Whopper of their own at San Francisco’s Burger King on Market and 8th Street until Thursday. 

[SOURCE: http://www.foodbeast.com/2014/07/02/burger-king-unveils-gay-pride-whopper-in-san-francisco/ ; http://www.bk.com/en/us/company-info/news-press/detail/be-your-way-at-burger-king-restaurants-2906.html]