Case Study: How Burger King invited customers to roast their worst coffee moments to drive engagement

In a recent campaign, Burger King India launched 'Roast the Roast' to spotlight BK Café's coffee while engaging audiences in a fun, user-driven format. Created by Leo Burnett South Asia, the campaign encouraged users to share their worst coffee moments, with a humorous twist, in exchange for a free cup of coffee from BK Café. This approach tapped into shared frustrations with bad coffee to generate buzz and drive engagement, linking digital interactions with physical visits to BK Café outlets. 

Category Introduction 

The Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) industry in India has witnessed significant growth in recent years, driven by factors such as increasing urbanisation, rising disposable incomes, and changing consumer preferences. While the industry presents significant opportunities, challenges such as competition across cuisines, changing consumer preferences, rising costs, and sustainability concerns need to be addressed for long-term success. 

This industry typically includes restaurants that prioritise speed of service over dine-in experiences, often employing self-service or counter-service models. QSR chains have become a ubiquitous part of modern lifestyles, providing a convenient and accessible option for meals and snacks. The India Quick Service Restaurant Market size is estimated at 25.46 billion USD in 2024 and is expected to reach 38.71 billion USD by 2029, growing at a CAGR of 8.74% during the forecast period (2024-2029). 

Brand Introduction

Burger King, founded in 1954, is the world’s second-largest fast-food burger chain, known for its Whopper. With over 15,000 locations in about 100 countries, the company operates on a global scale, with nearly all outlets owned by independent franchisees, some of which are family-owned for decades. The brand is part of Restaurant Brands International Inc. (RBI),  which has over 19,000 restaurants globally.

In India, Restaurant Brands Asia Limited (formerly Burger King India Ltd) launched in 2013 as the national master franchisee of the Burger King brand. As a subsidiary of the global brand, it has established itself in the Indian market by offering a diverse menu and leveraging the brand's global recognition. Within its first five years, it became the fastest-growing international QSR chain in the country, expanding rapidly with exclusive rights to develop, operate, and franchise Burger King restaurants. With its focus on quality, convenience, and affordability, Burger King India has become a popular choice among Indian consumers seeking a satisfying and enjoyable dining experience.

Beyond its food, the brand is known for its marketing campaigns, often using humour, social media, and viral stunts to engage customers. These fun, edgy campaigns have helped it stand out as a brand that doesn't shy away from pushing boundaries and engaging with its audience in unconventional ways.

Objectives

The objective of Burger King India's 'Roast the Roast' campaign was to reinforce the brand positioning of BK Café by highlighting the superior quality of its coffee, while simultaneously driving customer engagement and increasing footfall. A key focus is on expanding brand awareness, fostering meaningful interactions with customers, and directing traffic to both physical stores and online platforms. By consistently delivering engaging and humorous content, the campaign aims to keep the brand top-of-mind, encouraging active participation through user-generated content, polls, and contests, ultimately enhancing customer loyalty and driving sustained brand visibility.

Summary

Burger King India’s 'Roast the Roast' campaign, launched on International Coffee Day, aimed to strengthen BK Café’s brand positioning by showcasing the superior quality of its 100% Arabica coffee blend. The campaign invited users to share their worst coffee experiences in a lighthearted, user-generated content format. In exchange, participants received a free cup of coffee from BK Café, driving both online engagement and footfall to physical stores. Through humorous and relatable content, the campaign increased brand awareness, fostered customer interaction, and highlighted its premium coffee offerings.

Creative Idea 

The creative idea behind the campaign, conceived by Leo Burnett South Asia, centered around leveraging people's shared frustration with bad coffee experiences. The agency tapped into this common sentiment to create a fun and engaging user-generated campaign, where participants were encouraged to 'roast' their worst coffee moments in exchange for a good cup of coffee from BK Café. By inviting people to share their stories, the campaign not only generated buzz around the brand but also positioned the brands' premium coffee as the ultimate solution to subpar coffee experiences. This lighthearted, interactive approach helped engage audiences in a memorable and playful manner.

 Execution 

The 'Roast the Roast' campaign was designed as a multi-platform digital initiative aimed at engaging coffee lovers across India. The execution kicked off with a humorous and relatable video that showcased various bad coffee experiences, sparking a conversation around the frustrations people have with poor-quality coffee. This video was shared across social media platforms, setting the tone for the campaign and inviting users to join the conversation.

The core of the campaign revolved around user-generated content, where participants were encouraged to share their own stories of bad coffee experiences, or 'roast' their worst coffee moments, using the campaign’s hashtag. In return for their participation, users were offered a free cup of coffee from BK Café. This incentive not only sparked widespread engagement but also directed users to physical locations to redeem their complimentary coffee, blending digital engagement with in-store traffic. The focus on humor and relatability resonated well with the audience, ensuring that the content was widely shared, liked, and commented upon.

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Results 

As participants shared their stories, the campaign saw a significant increase in online engagement, with posts attracting a high volume of likes, comments, and shares. The campaign reached over 60 million audiences garnering over 75 million impressions, including 1.02 lakh likes, 6.2 million post engagements and more than 800 shares across social media platforms. This boost in interaction not only strengthened BK Café's digital presence but also expanded brand awareness, particularly among coffee enthusiasts, positioning BK Café as a top choice in the community.

Discussing this campaign, Kapil Grover, Chief Marketing Officer of Burger King India, stated, “At Burger King, we take pride in providing an exceptional coffee experience. Our coffee made of  100% Arabica beans with the Monsoon Malabar blend offers notes of citrus, caramel and peanuts, creating a harmonious coffee flavor that our customers adore. Coffee has become a vital part of our café offerings, and with 'Roast the Roast,' we aimed to inject some fun while highlighting the quality that distinguishes us. Everyone has encountered a disappointing coffee at some point, so why not turn that into a roast? This campaign not only entertains our guests but also rewards them with free coffee at BK Café, making the entire experience a memorable one.”