Burger King has only about 100 outlets in Japan, which is far less than competitor fast-food chains such as McDonald’s. There were many comments from fans on Twitter, such as “There’s no outlet nearby!” and “Please come to my neighborhood!” But we were unable to oblige the requests of fans because it isn’t easy to open a new outlet considering the limited marketing budget and time.

Burger King has only about 100 outlets in Japan, which is far less than competitor fast-food chains such as McDonald’s. There were many comments from fans on Twitter, such as “There’s no outlet nearby!” and “Please come to my neighborhood!” But we were unable to oblige the requests of fans because it isn’t easy to open a new outlet considering the limited marketing budget and time.

The primary target was mainly young fans who were lamenting on social media that there is no Burger King nearby. By opening “BK TOWN ROOM” that obliges those wishes with reverse thinking and directly replying to those fans on Twitter, we aimed to heighten affection for the brand. We designed the scheme so that the topic would go viral on Twitter and reach mass media, thus communicating the appeal of Burger King to fast food users throughout Japan.

We collaborated with a major real estate brand to build a system with a design and specifications on par with an authentic property search website. This was structured so that users can choose a town where one or more of approximately 100 Burger King outlets are located and search for a rental property that is very close by. We also prepared content to promote the charms of towns that have Burger King outlets.

Fans and the media were amazed at this reverse thinking. We made it known throughout Japan that towns with a Burger King are towns of happiness, where you can eat flame-grilled Whoppers any time. Further, 328 fans did actually move near a Burger King. We succeeded in revitalizing Burger King towns.

·Total Media Impressions:50 Million

·Total Ad Conversion:$1.5 Million

·Total Media Coverage:150

·New Residents:328