It's impossible to ignore the growing problem excessive plastic waste is causing for the planet - and being part of the problem is no longer an option. As a business, Burger King needed to make a positive step forward by addressing the plastic toys historically given away in its KING® Junior Meals.

The initial brief was to come up with an alternative sustainable solution to these toys in the UK. Rather than just phase them out, we identified an opportunity for Burger King to make a public statement that would encourage the public (and its competitors) to fully commit to reducing plastic waste. So we got BK to remove toys from its kids’ meals altogether, while calling on the public to donate their unwanted toys so they could be melted down, for good.

To drive engagement and spark conversation, we needed a campaign that would bring the initiative to life.

Burger King UK approached us to innovate its kids’ meals by creating an alternative to plastic toys. Rather than simply phase them out, we convinced BK to remove toys from its kids’ meals, while calling on the public to donate their unwanted toys so they could be melted down, for good. Transforming into trays, play areas and more.

To get people on board, we created a cast of melting characters to highlight the growing problem plastic toys are causing and the potential impact of the campaign. Inspired by the ability of animated films to speak to both children and adults and the playful irreverence of Burger King, our trio of characters - Beep Beep, Mr Hugglesworth and Roary – go on their own meltdown journey. From being abandoned and discarded to enjoying new lives as re-imagined, recycled plastics.

Excessive plastic waste is a growing problem - over 1.4billion plastic toys are given away each year alone, just to spend thousands of years in landfill. Burger King knew that being part of the problem was no longer an option, so decided to take a positive step forward and address the impact of plastic toys historically given away in KING® Junior Meals.

Simultaneously, a petition created by two British sisters, Ella and Caitlin McEwan aged nine and seven, calling for McDonald’s and Burger King to "think of the environment and stop giving plastic toys with their kids’ meals,” was earning public attention.

The petition received more than half a million signatures and demonstrated to Burger King leadership that there was an urgent public demand for this change to happen, spurring on their efforts.

A multi-channel campaign. A cast of melting characters. An irreverent, playful tone. What it all adds up to is The Meltdown: Burger King’s way of taking a bold stance on plastic kids’ toys.

To bring to life the scale and impact of the campaign, we gave the launch film the feel of a trailer, going out across Burger King’s social media channels. It got people talking, sharing and got picked up by news channels across the globe. The content was also put into digital signage across all of Burger King UK stores, as well as using the statics in print to bring it together across multiple touchpoints.

The campaign intentionally lived in a world of plastic, utilizing the Burger King color palette to bring it together. The characters were designed to appeal to both grown-ups and kids, the trio chosen so they could appeal to the widest audience. To reflect Burger King’s tone they have a sense of playfulness and interact with the brand throughout the story.

We started by designing the hero characters, whilst building the narrative of the journey that plastic toys go on, from shiny and new, to being discarded to landfill, the ocean or just forgotten in the garage. The idea that the characters have another choice and all head towards the Meltdown is a way to show the process and benefits of recycling, making it feel playful and simple, even for BK’s youngest customers.

From storyboard - to production - to completion happened over 4 weeks.