The competition to stand out during Halloween is fearless. Especially for fast food restaurants. That’s why, to separate ourselves from the general efforts the category does with promotions and stunts, we decided to create a product that disguises our most iconic hamburger as the most selling item during the season.

Using communication techniques and implementation strategies from a category that has nothing to do with quick-service restaurants, we managed to add Burger King into the trick-or-treat route of thousands, putting a tiny idea that looked more like a candy than a hamburger into the Halloween pumpkins of thousands.

Halloween represents a total of US$6.86 billion in expenses in the USA. The categories that sell the most during this holiday are (in order of importance): costumes, makeup, candy, decorations, and movie theaters. A scenario that leaves QSRs out of the picture.

We were challenged to find a way to be relevant during a season in which going trick-or-treating to a fast food restaurant is usually not the plan.

Our objective was to soften the sales reduction caused by the lack of visits during Halloween, and to engage with a consumer that all that thinks, talks, and wants during that day is candy.

To get into the trick-or-treat route in Puerto Rico and to put our brand into the hands of the Halloween lovers of the island; we developed a new line of candy-sized Whoppers?® wrapped on a candy-shaped paper, using the same ingredients and materials as the original burger.

The “Mini-Whopper Jr.” - as it was called - was four times smaller than a regular Whopper. It was also presented as a candy, by wrapping it with two nodes, the same way traditional candy is sealed.

With an audience made-up of 58% families with children and 68% teenagers, we decided to create something understandable and meaningful for everyone. The whole “Mini Whopper Jr.” idea was conceived to pay homage to our product values and characteristic flavor, by turning a treat into an experience that people could access in some of the 150 Burger Kings in Puerto Rico.

After three weeks of testing and development, we designed a product that was included in our seasonal menu. This new item required the implementation of a new process in the production chain, due to its size and the detail of its preparation.

Using the same ingredients and materials available in all our restaurants, we managed to bring 300 “Mini Whopper Jrs.” per restaurant to some of the most important areas in Puerto Rico.

The “Mini Whopper Jr.” was promoted through a digital campaign launched during the week of Halloween. The campaign adopted the communication codes used by candy brands, to invite people to visit Burger King on October 30th.

With more than 2,000 candy-looking hamburgers prepared and given away in less than five hours, the “Mini Whopper Jr.” experience achieved:

An increase of 139% in in-store traffic and 10% in sales during the day of the execution vs. the same holiday the previous year.

Plus 20% of downloads and registrations to the BK App thanks to the redemption of the “Mini Whopper Jr.” coupon.

Over 2,000,000 impressions on social media with an interaction increase of 713% vs. previous months.

$250,000 in earned media across North, Central, and South America, Europe, Middle East, and Asia.