After several decades of dedicated service, Burger King’s
mascot — yes, the King — has been shown the door.
“Over the last several years, the brand has been updating its restaurant operations, technology, and
appearances, as well as adjusting menu items and changing its packaging, Joel Yashinsky, CMO of Burger King US and Canada, told Marketing
Brew. “Many people found the king to be creepy,” Yashinsky said. “So we’re firing the king.”
The brand debuted the 90-second “There's a New
King, and It's You" spot on Sunday evening during the Oscars.
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“What happened?” begins the ad. “There was a time when Burger King used to be king.”
The question has been the center of a $700 million effort to revamp Burger King’s image after the brand lost its spot as the No. 2 US burger chain in 2020.
“The ad traces the history of Burger King through the years and admits that ‘fast food just fell off, us included,’ noting guest complaints about ‘old restaurants,
slow service [and] simple mistakes,’” according to Marketing
Dive.
The campaign builds on recent efforts that put the brand in consumers’ hands, including Burger King President Tom Curtis giving out his phone number to solicit
feedback.
“Burger King took the crown for Oscars 2026 ad domination,” notes Business Insider. “It ran several spots and got host-read callouts
throughout the ceremony. Its main ad saw the fast-food chain fess up to missteps and promise changes.”
On Tuesday, Burger King’s Instagram included a re-post from The King’s LinkedIn account where his profile photo now includes the #OpenToWork hashtag.
The
QSR’s financial problems run much deeper.
"Burger King has heavily invested in the Whopper, offering new limited-time-offer variations and basing much of its marketing around
the signature sandwich,” according to The Street.
But a new study from Datassential shows that
beef prices have climbed much faster than burger prices.
Perhaps the fast food chain hopes having one less salary (the King's) on its payroll will offset those expenses.