Prove out Whopper love through a topical subject. The repeal of Net Neutrality was a hot button topic in the US. It was decision made by the FCC (Federal Communication Committee) that granted Internet Service Providers the power to control speeds and data on the Internet, having the ability discriminate or charge differently by user, content, website, platform or application.

The biggest problem was that the issue was really complex, and most people didn't understand the consequences of the repeal.

But what do people understand? A Whopper. We used the relatable process of ordering a Whopper to make an otherwise unrelatable and complicated subject suddenly easy to understand. By dramatizing what could happen if net neutrality were repealed through a demonstration of fast and slow lane Whoppers, we made the subject more clear and taught the country what net neutrality in fact means to their lives.

We set out to create an educational video that used our restaurant's service and products as a metaphor, recreating the scenarios that people will experience with the repeal of Net Neutrality. We called it: Whopper Neutrality.

The cashiers explained to real and unsuspecting guests how the new policy was affecting speeds and service, how the access to the Whopper had been delayed on purpose to promote other products, or that if they wanted faster service they'd have to pay a premium to access slow, fast or hyper fast MBPS (Making Burgers Per Second).

With all the real reactions we created our online film, that we released just weeks after the repeal of Net Neutrality started.

We published it on all the social media platforms from the brand, as well as a thread on Reddit where the biggest community of active Net Neutrality supporters lived.

ORGANIC RESULTS:

+4.3 Billion impressions

+$67 in earned media

+60 Million views

Most shared ad in Burger King's history

+2.3 Million signatures to protect Net Neutrality

#1 Trending Topic on Facebook, Reddit, Twitter, Google Trends, Mashable.

Sources: Cision, ABMC, Webe Shandwick, Hawkeye, Ketchum, Reddit Home page, Facebook trends, Crimson Hexagon , change.org, Twitter insights, Youtube, Buzzfeed

It is not every day that you get U.S. Senators, Congressmen, and the FCC Commissioner supporting and tweeting about a brand, let alone a burger. All organically.

The Whopper Neutrality campaign is a testament to the power brands have to influence culture and help educate society, because Burger King took a political stand and rallied people behind the cause to protect Net Neutrality. In a world where brands are too cautious and avoid getting political, Burger King did the exact opposite, showing that brands can and should get political in order to create real change.

As a QSR brand, Burger King serves a cross section of the American public: 84% of adults report visiting a category competitor in the past month. In addition, there's a greater likelihood of Millennials and Generation Z to visit the category. Therefore, we needed to appeal to this core group through a subject they would find relevant.

Open internet is a topic we knew had relevancy to everyone. 79% of American report they were against the repeal of Net Neutrality. It also appeals to the younger generation who are more inclined to seek out brands which involved themselves in social issues to make positive changes and make it easy for consumers to join them in those efforts. So therefore, in addition to the video we partnered with change.org to direct viewers to sign a petition to be sent to congress voicing their support to prevent the repeal.

QSR in the U.S. is one of the most competitive industries in the world. Burger King competes in an industry dominated by one competitor, McDonald's (3x in size and SOV), and flanked by another, Wendy's, vying for 2nd place. In order to remain competitive against such odds, Burger King has to find creative ways to punch above its weight and budget.

The brief, therefore, was to break through the competitive clutter in a way which delivered a multiple of return on investment by way of earned media and attention. And to do it while demonstrating the iconicness of their signature product, the Whopper, and exemplifying the core brand values of inclusivity.