How Burger King is Using AI to Engage Customers: Insights from CMO Patrick O'Toole on The Speed of Culture Podcast

In today's rapidly evolving digital landscape, brands must continuously innovate to stay relevant. Patrick O'Toole, Chief Marketing Officer of Burger King, shares his insights on how the iconic brand is leveraging AI to enhance customer engagement and drive marketing success in a recent episode of The Speed of Culture podcast, hosted by Matt Britton, CEO of Suzy.

Embracing AI for Customer Engagement

Burger King's recent "Million Dollar Whopper Contest" exemplifies the brand's commitment to innovation and customer-centric marketing. O'Toole explains that the contest invites consumers to create their own unique Whopper using any ingredients they can imagine, from gummy bears to chocolate sauce. The use of AI technology allows participants to visualize their customized Whopper in real-time, enhancing the interactive experience.

"We looked across the landscape of how we make this as engaging to the consumer as possible," O'Toole says. "AI is at a point where we felt comfortable leaning in, putting it as part of this tool, and it makes the experience great. The amount of time people are spending on our website, playing with these tools, and looking at their Whoppers is like nothing I've seen from a brand engagement standpoint."

The Power of AI in Modern Marketing

AI's ability to quickly and accurately generate images of custom Whoppers is just one example of how the technology is revolutionizing marketing. By making it easy for consumers to engage with the brand and explore their creativity, Burger King is fostering deeper connections and increasing time spent on their digital platforms.

"AI is just such a powerful tool, and we're obviously in its infancy," O'Toole explains. "But why we like AI as something to put into a consumer-based program is the ease of use for the end consumer. This one, it's as simple as just typing in the ingredient. You can even spell it wrong. And we fix that for you. AI fixes it for you. And then it shows you something within a matter of seconds."

From Jingles to Viral Hits: The Success of "Have It Your Way"

Burger King's "Have It Your Way" jingle has become a cultural phenomenon, resonating with consumers across social media platforms like TikTok. O'Toole shares that the jingle's success is rooted in its simplicity and the brand's willingness to modernize a classic element of their identity.

"Our creative agency, OKRP, did an amazing job of looking at the brand heritage," O'Toole says. "They had a great earworm jingle. And then the amazing thing about being a marketer today is with social media that consumers take things and make them their own. And that's also, it was an insight that we took to Million Dollar Whopper."

The jingle's widespread popularity, including being one of TikTok's top hashtags and appearing in many Spotify Wrapped reports, highlights the impact of integrating timeless brand elements with modern digital strategies.

Lessons from PepsiCo: Building a Foundation for Marketing Excellence

Before joining Burger King, O'Toole spent 15 years at PepsiCo, a company renowned for producing top-tier marketing talent. Reflecting on his time there, O'Toole emphasizes the importance of a comprehensive rotational program and a culture of collaboration.

"Pepsi just does such a good job of ensuring that people learn the whole funnel," O'Toole notes. "And then it's a culture thing too, that they build, it's an affiliated culture, is to where, yes, you've got these brilliant people that you kind of move through ranks with, but we all know we have to lean on each other and our success depends on working well with each other."

Transitioning to Burger King: New Challenges and Opportunities

O'Toole's transition to Burger King presented new challenges, particularly in navigating the franchise model. Unlike traditional CPG companies, working with franchisees requires a unique approach to ensure alignment and support across the brand.

"It's another stakeholder that makes you want to do amazing work," O'Toole explains. "Because you've got consumers that you want to love your brand, you've got a team that's working their tail off to ensure that we're doing the best marketing possible. But then you've got this group of hundreds of franchisees, a lot of them who started working in our restaurants as teenagers."

This dynamic adds an extra layer of responsibility but also enriches the marketing strategy with diverse perspectives and insights.

Digital Transformation: Meeting Modern Consumer Expectations

Digital transformation is a critical focus for Burger King as they strive to meet the high expectations of today's consumers. O'Toole emphasizes that digital initiatives must be integrated into the core marketing strategy to be effective.

"Million Dollar Whopper is digital ground up," O'Toole states. "And most of our things are going to be that way because it's not just for young consumers. You know, like my mom on her iPhone, she was one of the first people to build a Whopper. She can't win, but she does that. She mobile orders. She shows up to her Burger King in Denver, and they all know her."

Leveraging First-Party Data for Personalization

Burger King's loyalty program, Royal Perks, plays a crucial role in collecting first-party data and driving personalized marketing efforts. In an era where data privacy is paramount, having direct access to customer data is a significant advantage.

"CPG companies like PepsiCo would kill for the amount of first-party interaction that we get as a brand because of our app and the type of business that we're in," O'Toole says. "If people enter a loyalty program, they visit more often, and they tend to spend more with your brand."

Balancing Traditional and Digital Marketing

While digital marketing is essential, O'Toole acknowledges the enduring value of traditional media, especially for reaching large audiences quickly. Balancing these approaches allows Burger King to maximize their impact across various channels.

"It's also a time when scale does matter," O'Toole observes. "We're just, you know, the Super Bowl was last week, and, you know, our sister brand Popeyes did an ad there that got amazing reach, amazing earned media, and it's doing great things for a big launch that they had."

Strategic Focus: Driving Growth Through Data and Innovation

As Burger King continues to innovate, O'Toole emphasizes the importance of using data to drive growth and efficiency. By targeting specific dayparts and underperforming segments, the brand can optimize their marketing efforts and enhance customer engagement.

"You can get so targeted and so smart with how you do it," O'Toole notes. "And so that's what we're looking at. Dayparts are a part of it. Guess where we're under-indexing is a part of it."

Conclusion: Fostering Happiness Through Marketing

O'Toole's approach to marketing is grounded in the belief that happiness should be at the core of all brand interactions. By focusing on customer joy and engagement, Burger King aims to create memorable experiences that resonate with consumers.

"When I look at the world today, we can use a lot more of that," O'Toole concludes. "So being able to impact that at scale is super cool."