In 1981, McDonald's and Burger King went to war.
Burger King hired a 5-year-old girl for an ironic commercial.
McDonald's then sued the five-year-old.
This was the beginning of the most expensive fast food war in history.
McDonald's dominates the fast food market with its iconic golden arches and Happy Meals.
But Burger King was tired of playing second fiddle.
So they published an ad that would start a decades-long war:
They hired 5-year-old Sarah Michelle Gellar (some may remember her) to do something unprecedented:
They attacked McDonald's by name on national television.
In the ad, she compared McDonald's burgers to Burger King's, claiming they were 20 percent smaller.
What happened next would change fast food marketing forever ...
McDonald's immediately filed a lawsuit:
- Burger King
- Their advertising agency
- And yes, even 5-year-old Sarah Michelle Gellar herself
"I was the first person to mention another competitor's name on a job," Gellar later recalled.
But that was just the beginning ...
The legal dispute triggered the so-called "Burger War".
Both chains have abandoned their traditional family-friendly marketing.
Before 1980, both focused on positive campaigns - McDonald's with Happy Meals, Burger King with "Have it Your Way".
In 1984, McDonald's launched its counterattack:
The McDLT - a direct competitor to the Whopper.
The innovation? A unique two-chamber packaging:
- Warm side dish: burger and bottom bun
- Cool side dish: lettuce, tomato and top bun
"Keep the hot side hot and the cool side cool."
They put EVERYTHING on the McDLT:
80-100 million dollars were spent on the campaign.
Convinced Jason Alexander to perform a Broadway-style musical commercial, years before his Seinfeld fame.
The burger sold for $1.49 (about $3.60 today).
But there was a problem ...
McDLT's innovative packaging was made of polystyrene.
As environmental awareness grew at the end of the 1980s, McDonald's came under increasing pressure.
They discontinued production of the product in December 1990 and replaced it with the McLean Deluxe.
Meanwhile, Burger King was preparing its own disaster ...
In 1985, Burger King launched the "Where's Herb?" campaign.
The concept? A promotional campaign to find Herb - a fictional character who has never eaten a Whopper.
Customers could get Whoppers at a reduced price by saying "I'm not Herb" when ordering.
However, there was one big problem:
No one knew what Herb looked like until he was unveiled at Super Bowl XX in January 1986.
The campaign left customers completely confused.
It became known as one of the worst marketing failures in history.
It was their last campaign with the agency J. Walter Thompson.
The rivalry led to unprecedented innovations in the fast food sector:
- New packaging technology such as the McDLT's double compartment
- Creative marketing approaches
- Menu diversification
- Focus on food quality
Both chains were forced to evolve or die.
The burger wars have shown us something crucial:
Innovation is not just about products.
It's about how you tell your story.
And in today's digital age, this is more important than ever.
McDonald's and Burger King spent millions fighting for attention.
$MCD (-0,03%) , $QSR (-0,28%) , $CMG (-0,29%) , $YUM (-0,2%) , $WEN (+1,14%) , $DPZ (-0,52%)
