Burger King’s challenge was to reconnect emotionally with its audience and revive the irreverence and authenticity that had once made the brand stand out in the category—even with smaller budgets than its competitors—and that both fans and non-fans had loved.

To do that, we kept a close eye on digital conversations around football—a space dominated by our rivals (McDonald’s has been the digital sponsor of the Argentine Football Association since 2020, and Mostaza has been an official AFA sponsor since 2018, featuring star players in its campaigns). It’s a territory we love to hack.

On March 26, 2025, there was only one thing Argentinians were talking about online: the 4–1 thrashing of Brazil’s national team the night before. The perfect moment to jump in had arrived.

Confronted with such an iconic moment, how could we join the conversation without sponsorship—yet still amplify BK’s unmistakable style? By rubbing a little salt in the wound, of course. After all, conceding four goals isn’t something anyone forgets easily.

We wanted to celebrate with Argentinians, but without hitting Brazilians too hard (they’re our customers too). Since we were talking about “eating,” we put the spotlight on the Stacker—our iconic burger alongside the classic Whopper.

We drew a playful comparison: taking four goals might be rough for Brazil, but eating four Stackers could revive anyone.

We created a post that disguised a jab as a promo—more of a consolation prize for the Brazilians living in Argentina who were probably having a tough day. The post offered four free Stackers to the first four Brazilians living in Argentina who sent us a direct message with their ID.

Users liked, commented, shared the post via DM and on their own profiles, tagged friends, and sparked debate around the topic giving BK a voice in the football conversation that even our deep-pocketed, sponsor-heavy competitors couldn’t match.

This idea was a hit for several reasons. With a budget of $0, we achieved:

• Reaching new audiences: 83% of views and 71% of interactions on Instagram came from non-followers. The content traveled beyond our community—and resonated. Across two posts, we drove 11,420 profile visits on Instagram, 290 on X, and gained 510 new followers across both platforms.
• Crossing borders: The content went viral in Brazil too, picked up organically by local media. To our surprise, it received more praise than criticism—even with the cheeky tone.
• Outperforming ourselves: We blew past the metrics of our previous real-time post on IG and topped our best organic post of the previous year on X.
• Beating the competition at their own game: We joined the football conversation without being sponsors, partners, or using national team influencers.
• Reclaiming our authenticity: After years of tactical, business-focused messaging, the brand had lost its irreverent tone. This real-time moment reignited our signature spice, humor, and originality—key ingredients for standing out in a commoditized category.