# Burger King Whopper Detour

> Burger King reported over 1.5 million app downloads from its penny Whopper detour.

- Owner: Burger King
- Kind: Campaign
- Sector: Food & beverage
- Seed date: 2018-12-04
- Peak date: Week of Dec 7, 2018
- Date basis: Dates use the stated precision; chart positions are date anchors.
- Spread Score: 48 (Notable, provisional), v1.2
- Mechanics: Pairing, Mystery & lore, Platform jump, Press loop, Controversy

## Summary

Burger King launched a penny Whopper offer near McDonald’s with paid outdoor, print and digital support. Customers discussed glitches on social media, and CNN interviewed its CMO. Burger King reported over 1.5 million app downloads and half a million redemptions.

## Timeline

- 2018-12-04 — @BurgerKing (X) — Burger King tweeted that it was going to McDonald’s an hour before the campaign went live.
- 2018-12-04 — @BurgerKing (X) — Burger King launched a penny Whopper offer unlocked near McDonald’s through its app.
- 2018-12-05 — Marketing Dive (Press) — Marketing Dive covered the geofenced Whopper offer.

The full timeline, metrics and sources are on the case page, or via the Pro API (https://howitspread.com/developers).

Canonical URL: https://howitspread.com/cases/burger-king-whopper-detour

Cite as: How It Spread (2026). “Burger King Whopper Detour.” Case HIS-00070. Spread Score v1.2: 48/100. Updated 2026-10-13. https://howitspread.com/id/HIS-00070