Parker brand has a whopper impact
New Zealanders were left victorious, and pretty full, after Burger King offered $2 Whopper burgers to celebrate Joseph Parker becoming the country’s first world heavyweight boxing champion.
Burger King New Zealand, a sponsor of Parker, sold about 137,000 Whopper burgers between 11am and 5pm on Sunday.
The promotion used 12,529 kilograms of beef, 4440kg of tomatoes, 2445kg of lettuce, and 2549kg of mayonnaise – all adding up to a whopping 86.3 million calories worth of burgers sold in six hours.
‘‘The number one restaurant was Papatoetoe, in part driven by the new branding [to Parker King] that went up straight after the fight,’’ Burger King spokesman James Woodbridge said.
‘‘Others in the top five were Henderson, Lower Hutt, Whangarei and Porirua.’’
Burger King Whoppers normally sold for $6.55 or $9.50 as part of a combo meal.
University of Auckland marketing lecturer Bodo Lang said Burger King’s promotion was in line with the company’s longrunning association with boxing in New Zealand and overseas.
‘‘One of the key reasons why they’re doing this is because it matches with their target market,’’ he said.
‘‘Using sports stars is a common tactic used by a variety of companies.
‘‘Brands like the linkage because of the high visibility and appeal of sports stars and also because of the positive associations of being associated with a sport.
‘‘This can of course create interesting tensions when the sponsor is a fast-food brand.’’
But, Lang said, most consumers would just see their idolised sports star and a brand, ‘‘so some of that liking rubs off on the brand’’.
There may only be a small, if any, profit margin on the $2 burger. But customers were likely to buy other items at normal prices, which would boost sales, Lang said.
‘‘What is more important though, is the longer trend and linking Burger King with sport superstar Joseph Parker will help it sell more burgers, whether they are $2 or not.’’
Burger King’s Joseph Parker deal is just one of many creative ideas promoted by fast-food outlets. Recently KFC held a Facebook competition for one lucky person to win a candle scented with 11 herbs and spices.
McDonalds also branched out with new ideas such as winding back the clock and selling burgers and fries at 1976 prices to celebrate its 40th anniversary in New Zealand. It served up Big Macs for 75 cents, fries for 45c, and cheeseburgers for only 40c.