The business challenge was the brief: 70% of the growth in Food Service in the next five years will come from delivery (Source: Euromonitor). For Burger King to continue to grow, becoming a leader in delivery with innovative solutions is a top priority. We had to go beyond what other fast-food chains can do using third-party solutions such as UberEats. We had to deliver food in a way no brand has done before. But in Mexico City, the traffic is the worst in the world (according to the latest TomTom Global Traffic index). People spend up to 5 hours in their daily commute-- meaning they are not in their houses or offices to order delivery. This was a badass delivery opportunity for Burger King because for the first time ever, people stuck in traffic were able to order a Whopper and get it while they were on the move.

The Traffic Jam Whopper. We used real-time data from mobile phones to detect potential hungry buyers in a traffic jam to offer them Whoppers and deliver on the move. Media was 100% dynamic, promoting our service exactly where drivers were stuck and eager to get a Whopper. By leveraging traffic and drivers’ real-time data, we adjusted our billboards’ placement and content, displaying information about their remaining time in traffic to order, and personalized delivery updates.

The delivery zones changed following the traffic live, making our service available when a gridlock was identified within a 3 km radius from the restaurants. When drivers entered our delivery zones, Waze banners ads and push notifications invited them to get a Whopper with our hands-free Voice-activated ordering feature.

Finally, using the latest Google Maps API’s, we pinpointed vehicle location and speed to deliver-- for the first time ever-- to a driver on the move.

First, we analyzed historical Waze data from Mexico, such as average speed, journey length, possible deviations from main streets and distance from BK restaurants, to identify ideal locations and times of the day where delivery to cars stuck in traffic was doable. To fulfill deliveries in less than 30 minutes, we targeted drivers within a 3-kilometer radius of participating restaurants and used real-time traffic data to determine zones where the service would be available to activate or deactivate, adapting live to daily traffic variation. The billboards were placed only in high congestion zones. We also incorporated customer-provided data into the billboards to accomplish two things: 1) Make people aware that they had entered a traffic jam and of the remaining time they would be stuck in traffic, so they could order; and 2) Give real-time updates to customers waiting for their order. The Traffic Jam service was part of the new BK mobile app, allowing us to use customer’s location data from their mobile phones. Finally, using the latest google maps APIs, we pinpointed the vehicle location to track their routes in real-time while our staff scrambled through traffic to find them and deliver on the move.

The Traffic Jam Whopper. The first service ONLY available in TRAFFIC JAMS that uses REAL-TIME DATA to promote Whoppers and deliver ON THE MOVE. How did we pull this innovative service seamlessly?

First, we analyzed historical Waze data from Mexico, such as commuters’ average speed, journey length, possible deviations from main streets and distance from BK restaurants, to identify ideal locations and times of the day where delivering was even doable.

To reach hungry consumers stuck in traffic, we used 100% dynamic media powered by data from consumers’ cell phones. The billboards and mobile ads, viewed by an estimated ONE MILLION delivery-prone, hungry, frustrated drivers per week, were activated once drivers entered our traffic-responsive dynamic delivery zones throughout the city, which we could turn on and off within minutes. The OOH messages displayed information about their remaining time in traffic to order their traffic jam combo, and personalized delivery updates. Waze banners ads and push notifications invited drivers to get a Whopper as soon as they entered active delivery zones. We used customers’ GPS data and Google Maps APIs to identify and track BK-connected drivers within 3 kilometers of restaurants to ensure <30 minute delivery times from order to completion. We actually ended up averaging 11 minutes with 90% of orders delivered before they left the traffic jam!

Drivers were prompted to use our new BK app’s hands-free, voice-activated Traffic Jam Whopper service to order, avoiding traffic tickets. A separate delivery app using a combination of Google and Mapbox API's allowed our delivery crew to track drivers turn by turn in real time and intercept them before drivers were out of the traffic jam.

Moreover, due to the success of the promotion, BK will soon launch The Traffic Jam Whopper in Los Angeles, Sao Paulo, and Shanghai.

In the program’s first week, participating restaurants saw a 63% average daily increase in delivery orders.*

In fewer than 30 days, BK app downloads DOUBLED the brand’s 2018 total, and daily App downloads increased 44 times, becoming the #1 Fast Food App, surpassing McDonalds, Domino’s & Starbucks in Mexico.**

A whopping 10% of consumers who downloaded the app registered for the Traffic Jam service, providing email, car model and license plates, AND credit card information.*

We set a new benchmark for the Burger King system as a whole with an average delivery time of 11 minutes-- less than half of the 30 minutes originally allotted delivery time.*

The promo success led the brand to implement it in other cities with high traffic density later this year. Coming soon to Sao Paulo, Los Angeles and Shanghai.

*Source: BK Internal Data

**Source: Firebase