With France’s stay-at-home measures that include the closing of all restaurants, French restaurant owners won't be able to take advantage of the Christmas holiday season to start rebuilding their shattered businesses. Burger King has taken the opportunity to stand in solidarity with French restaurants, through an unprecedented social media campaign, imagined by Buzzman agency.
Under France’s second nationwide lockdown bars and restaurants will remain closed until at least 20 January, 2021 before they can open their doors and terrasses to customers. The sector has been already hit hard by the ever-tightening coronavirus restrictions due to a first lockdown and the many curfews that followed.
In an effort to support these struggling businesses and show solidarity with the restaurant sector, Burger King in France is providing access to its Instagram channel to independent restaurants, giving them the equivalent of free advertising until January 21, when they will be allowed to reopen.
That’s why, until restaurants can reopen, Burger King France will stop posting pictures of its burgers and instead will share its grande visibility and community of about 331k followers with restaurant owners who need it more by highlighting a selection of restaurants, along with their address, their menu and their promotions.
To participate, restaurateurs will post a photo of their signature dish with the hashtag #WhopperAndFriends and Burger King France will retweet one every day.
This print and social campaign, from Buzzman, also includes a call to action that reads: “We never thought we would ask you to do this. But restaurants with thousands of employees really need your support right now."
Normally, no brand would think to give another brand a space for free publicity of this scale, but these are strange times indeed, and after its surprising and united message “Order from McDonald’s”, Burger King France decided to go even further by demonstrating solidarity with the hospitality sector in a good-hearted manner.
This is one goodvertising social media campaign that is sure to earn the fast-food chain high praise.
Credits
Advertising Agency: Buzzman, Paris, France
President and Executive Creative Director: Georges Mohammed-Chérif
Vice – President: Thomas Granger
Managing Director: Julien Levilain
Creative Director: Philippe Boucheron
Creative Director: Patrice Lucet
Art Director: Antoine Blondet
Copywriter: Julien Moulin
Head of Account: Loïc Coelho
Account Executive: Fany Maupou
Head of Social Media: Julien Scaglione
Social Media Consultant: Félix Brunot
Social Media Consultant: Arnaud Cherbonnier
Head of PR & Communication: Amélie Juillet
PR & Communication Manager: Paul Renaudineau
