The Campaign

From a branded content perspective, New Zealand definitely lags behind larger international markets. Truly unique content created for brands is still in its infancy. The cost of bought media in New Zealand is comparatively cheap due to economies of scale, while the cost of producing branded content remains fairly high. Most New Zealand clients therefore, with limited budgets, would usually prefer to revert to a more traditional advertising media model to reach their consumers. As a consequence there are few rules or restrictions regarding branded content. In this environment, Motel Burger King offered a truly standout and immersive experience for burger lovers to trial a new product range and provide them with an entertaining experience they were eager to share with their friends.

Results

For 20 years, New Zealanders have loved The Whopper TM. It is, for many people, their default burger of choice. We needed them to put that love and loyalty to one side and try our new TenderCrispTM Chicken Burgers. We also needed to debunk the common misconception that Burger King only make big beefy burgers with BBQ sauce. We needed to introduce new customers to Burger King by clearly communicating Burger King as a destination for chicken lovers. Motels have long been used by people to cheat. Cheat on their wives, husbands, boyfriends and girlfriends. And now, on The Whopper. To create Motel Burger King, an existing motel was completely rebranded. Beds in each room were replaced by booths and a table. From the road front sign to the motel reception, from hand towels to toiletries, everything was changed. No detail was overlooked. To launch the motel, celebrities were invited to sample our new burgers. Their liaison with chicken was secretly filmed and leaked through social media. The next day the motel opened to the public. Each room accommodated four and could be booked through Burger King’s Facebook page by tagging three friends in a comment thread. Guests were then sent a Motel Burger King keycard. Upon arrival, guests checked-in to the motel through Facebook. Each group of guests had a twenty-minute stay in the room to try the three new burgers, order their drinks and to soak up the atmosphere of the motel. Guests were incentivized to share their stay via social media using the conveniently provided hashtag #motelBK

Each room accommodated four and could be booked through Burger King’s Facebook page by tagging three friends in a comment thread. Rooms could also be booked through Instagram and a TenderCrisp Chicken Tinder profile. Guests were then sent a Motel Burger King keycard. Upon arrival, guests checked-in to the motel through Facebook. They then had 20 minutes to cheat on The Whopper, explore the motel and steal the shampoo. Guests were incentivized to share their stay via social media using #motelBK.

Over the five day promotion the motel was fully booked, welcoming 870 guests and receiving 5000 booking requests. News of the TenderCrisp Chicken Burgers spread to the Facebook feeds of 2 million New Zealanders - 85% of all New Zealanders on Facebook. There were over 1,000 pieces of user-generated content shared from guests at the motel. Engagement levels on Burger King’s Facebook page, already 20% above the global category norm, increased by 587%. Motel Burger King reached 4.5 million people on Twitter, with no paid media support. After two weeks, TenderCrisp Chicken Burgers outsold The Whopper without affecting sales of our flagship burger.