Burger King Deserves Praise For Recent Big King Promotion

Jeremie Bohbot

LOS ANGELES , January 8, 2014 (Off The Menu) – In a recent blog post, I criticized Burger King when it initially relaunched its Big King burger in the U.S., calling it a poor man’s Big Mac for too high a price ($3.69). Since then, however, Burger King has made the Big King part of its 2-for-$5 mix-and-match promotion, so it’s important to give credit where credit is due.

Offering either two Big Kings for $5 or offering a Big King and either a chicken sandwich or fish sandwich (also for $5) is a smart move on the burger chain’s part. First, it offers the burger—which Burger King brought back to the U.S. after discontinuing the product in the country in the late 1990s, with the new addition of a middle piece of bread—at a promotional price. Second, by offering two Big Kings for one promotional price, it counters the small size of the burger (something I also criticized in my last blog post on the subject).

Finally, I love the fact that Burger King is offering the option of pairing the Big King with one of its longtime sandwich options. It never hurts putting a new product together with an established product, especially if it can establish trust in the new product.

Is the promotion working? Well, let me tell you from my own experience: Since the promotion, I’ve gotten the Big King on two more occasions. And that’s after I criticized it for being a high-priced Big Mac clone. So you decide.

Nevin Barich is the Food & Beverage Analyst for Industry Intelligence. He can be reached at nevin.barich@industryintel.com

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