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Forget tariffs. Let’s talk about a far more vicious global trade war: The Burger Wars.
They’ve been raging for decades, and the only casualties (beyond the cows, that is) have been society’s collective waistline and, occasionally, ad agencies’ good sense.
Every burger brand has brought different weapons to the fight, and their arsenals have evolved significantly over time. Here’s your Burger Wars retrospective, courtesy of the AdLand archives. (Cue the Ken Burns music.)
Once upon a time, burger advertising was simpler. Wholesome, even. The year was 1980, and the surprisingly touching brand message was brought to you by Burger King.
https://adland.tv/burger-king-make-it-special-my-girl-1980-30-usa/
Over the next three decades, something—changed.
The BK King, birthed by CP+B in 2004, was always unsettling. Eventually he went downright mad.
https://adland.tv/bk-burger-king-kings-gone-crazy-2010-40/
Amid the chaos wrought by the rise of BK’s creepy royalty, it’s little wonder that Jack in the Box chose to stick with its comparatively sane leadership for so long.
https://adland.tv/jack-box-declaration-delicious-2016-30-usa/
And then there was Wendy’s—a quieter burger combatant, whose greatest weapon was always pointing out the shortcomings of others. In 1984, the brand asked an important question:
https://adland.tv/wendys-iceberg-2018-30-usa/
(I guess there’s something to be said for playing the long game, given that Wendy’s at last surpassed Burger King in per-store sales in 2023.)
Meanwhile, every war has a wild card—a nothing-to-lose kamikaze-style fighter whose actual damage pales in comparison to the fear they strike in the hearts of their enemies. In the Burger Wars, that’s always been Hardee’s…
https://adland.tv/hardees-spicy-paris-2005-030-usa/
Except, of course, when it was Carl’s Jr.
https://adland.tv/carls-jr-bikini-audrina-patridge-teriyaki-burger-2009-30/
But surely sex only sells for so long? Not according to Carl’s Jr., who eventually took the concept of food porn to a new level.
https://adland.tv/carls-jr-natural-beauties-2015-30-usa/
And where, then, was the undisputed champion in all of this? Surely the never-truly-threatened dominance of McDonald’s was built on a foundation of never-wavering advertising wins?
Well, they weren’t all winners. Some were just—sad, really.
