Burger King takes a jibe at McDonald’s with ‘real’ meals instead of ‘happy’ meals

Burger King is taking a leap of faith and going into un-chartered territory with its Real Meals promotion which is aimed at de-stigmatising mental health issues.

To this end Burger King has launched Real Meals which come in a variety of moods such as Pissed Meal, Blue Meal, Salty Meal, YAAAS Meal and the DGAF Meal. The meals include a Whopper, fries and a drink. 

Burger King said the campaign is aimed at encouraging people to “be their way” and “feel their way”, despite the pressures cultivated by social media to appear happy and perfect. 

Burger King is by partnering with Mental Health America as part of the campaign, and launched Real Meals to coincide with Mental Health Awareness Month. 

But mental health hasn’t been as big of a focus for restaurant brands — at least not on this scale — until now. With the Real Meals promotion, Burger King is swimming into unchartered waters and boldly de-stigmatizing mental health issues. This collection of boxes spans the gamut of emotions like a sort of edible mood ring.

Such nuance could be interpreted as a direct swing at McDonald’s and its famous Happy Meals, and it wouldn’t be the first time Burger King has targeted its rival recently.

Though the company likes this progress, trolling McDonald’s specifically probably doesn’t do much to bridge the gap between the two companies. McDonald’s average unit volumes are about USD$2.7 million, while Burger King’s is about USD$1.4 million, for example. 

But perhaps overtaking its rival isn’t Burger King’s top priority here. Mental health has become an important topic of late as suicide rates — particularly among teens — rise and as the suicides of high-profile celebrities, like Anthony Bourdain, push the story above the fold.

Stress, depression and substance abuse are persistent problems in the restaurant industry, so Burger King’s campaign could help shed some light on the issue and help facilitate action.

source: http://www.restaurantdive.com

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