Burger King Launches New Tagline: 'Be Your Way'

Advertising Age Player //--> No longer can you have it your way at Burger King. The company is changing its tagline to "Be Your Way," which the burger giant said is a spin on the 40-year-old "Have it Your Way" tagline. (The company since 2001 had been using "Taste is King," though some markets still continued with the classic tag.) According to the press release, the new tagline "reminds people that no matter who they are, they can order how they want to in Burger King restaurants and that they can and should live how they want anytime. It's OK to not be perfect. Self-expression is most important and it's our differences that make us individuals instead of robots." So why bother changing the tagline? Fernando Machado, the chain's senior VP-global brand marketing, said that while "Have It Your Way" was more about the "functional side" of Burger King, letting customers know that customization was always an option. He said that Burger King is aiming to have the tagline become "much more than just a headline" in that the goal is to "create a much stronger emotional connection by talking to a behavior that already exists." He added: "We're trying to elevate 'Have it Your Way' to a state that's much more emotional and centered around around self-expression." The tagline will launch first in the U.S., appearing in spots set to air Monday night that advertise the fast-feeder's King Deals Value Menu, which includes several burgers for $1. Mr. Machado said that the tagline will run globally, though he said exactly when is still being discussed. "Be Your Way' is a better reflection of who we are and how we want to interact with our guests," said Axel Schwan, Burger King global chief marketing officer, in a press release. "And, the executions under Be Your Way will showcase our guests being their own way in whatever iteration that may be." The move comes as Burger King has been making big efforts this year to attract attention and customers with revised positioning. Recently it made a return to its fabled Subservient Chicken campaign 10 years after it launched, using it as an advertising hook for its new Chicken Big King sandwich and to make waves in the digital space. The tagline also comes on the heels of the chain enlisting WPP's David, an agency that was launched by Latin American Ogilvy executives, as its global shop. David is tasked with helping Burger King execute global work so that the brand has a more consistent global image. Burger King's marketing ranks, especially on a global scale, have changed in recent months. In October, the chain named Mr. Schwan global CMO, succeeding Flavia Faugeres, who exited in late 2013. In March, the fast-feeder tapped former Unilever exec Fernando Machado as senior VP-global brand marketing, a new role the company established to refresh the brand on a global level. Last June, Eric Hirschhorn was named its new North American chief marketing officer.

Burger King Launches New Tagline: 'Be Your Way'

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