# Purposefully Misleading Burger Promotions The Whopper Detour Sends Consumers to McDonald's By Ell Smith | Published 2018-12-04 | Marketing Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/whopper-detour References: [adweek](https://www.adweek.com/creativity/burger-king-new-trolling-ploy-sends-fans-to-mcdonalds-to-unlock-a-1-cent-whopper-deal/) [Burger King's](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/burger-glitch) [Whopper](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/fast-food-anniversary-promotions) Detour serves as yet another humorous marketing ploy from the iconic fast food chain. Burger King is famous for its Whopper sandwich, leaving consumers confused when the BK app began promoting a new deal which stated one could order a Whopper at [McDonald's](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/carls-jr-sad-mac-buy-back-promotion) for just one cent. The confusing promotion led hungry consumers to McDonald's, where they began ordering Whoppers to the very confused staff. The clever promotion only makes it seem as though McDonald's is participating on the Whopper deal, when in reality the app geofenced select McDonald locations. Those with the Burger King app could order a Whopper through the app for just one cent when standing near a McDonald's, but are expected to drive to Burger King to pick it up. The purposefully misleading promotion aims to promote the re-launch of Burger King's app. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 5.6/10 - Popularity: 63% | Activity: 97% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial - Top markets: North America ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Marketing](https://www.trendhunter.com/marketing) > [Publicity Stunts](https://www.trendhunter.com/publicitystunts) ## Key Themes ### What Makes This Trend Stand Out - **Geofencing Misleading Advertising:** Opportunity for businesses to utilize geofencing technology to create humorous promotions that mislead consumers and draw attention to their products or services. - **Competitive App Promotion Strategies:** Opportunity for companies to use app promotions to steal customers from their competitors and generate buzz about their brand. - **Troll Marketing:** Opportunity for businesses to use humorous and deceptive advertising strategies to grab consumer attention and drive traffic to their brand. ### Sectors Adopting This - **Fast Food Industry:** Opportunity for fast food chains to use creative and funny promotions to differentiate themselves from competitors and drive customer traffic. - **Marketing Industry:** Opportunity for marketing firms to use innovative and humorous advertising tactics to create buzz and promote brands. - **Technology Industry:** Opportunity for technology companies to develop geofencing and other location-based services that businesses can use to promote their products and services. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Glitchy Burger Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/burger-glitch.md) - [Fast-Food Anniversary Promotions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/fast-food-anniversary-promotions.md) - [QSR Burger Chain Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/whopper-island.md) - [Cleverly-Disguised Fountain Cups](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/undercover-cups.md) - [Consumer-Driven QSR Burger Contests](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/million-dollar-whopper-contest.md) - [Comical Love-Inspired Food Ads](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/burger-king-loveinspired-ads.md) - [Comedic Limited-Time Burgers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/fake-burger-1.md) - [Burger Ad Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/burger-kings-new-campaign.md) - [Free Vegan Fast-Food Promotions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/whopper-swapper.md)