"Is the Whopper being discontinued?" I asked a Burger King employee... Excessive 'Noise Marketing'

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"Is the Whopper being discontinued now?"

"It means the existing Whopper is being upgraded and relaunched."

On the afternoon of the 8th, at a Burger King store in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, a store clerk responded this way to a customer who asked after seeing the large "Whopper Sales End" sign on the kiosk. In the end, the "Whopper discontinuation" was not true but a "noise marketing" tactic.

On that day, Burger King heavily advertised the "Whopper discontinuation" through its website, application (app), and KakaoTalk channel. Burger King stated, "On April 14th, we will end the sale of the Whopper after 40 years," and added, "We thank everyone who has loved the Whopper. Please enjoy the last Whopper during the remaining week."

The Whopper is Burger King's signature menu item featuring a sesame bun and beef patty. Burger King introduced it to the Korean market when it opened its first store in Jongno in 1984, and it has been popular for 40 years.

The news of the Whopper discontinuation startled consumers. Some even reacted, "I thought it was an April Fool's joke." Burger King also issued coupons that discounted the 9,100 won Whopper set to 6,100 won, causing Burger King stores nationwide to be crowded with customers wanting to eat the last Whopper during lunchtime.

However, the Whopper discontinuation was just Burger King's noise marketing. The Whopper will not disappear completely but is expected to be changed to Whopper 2 (tentative name) through recipe modifications such as beef patty and hamburger bun.

As a result, consumers have criticized it as "excessive noise marketing" and "deceptive advertising." In fact, on Burger King's official social media channels, comments such as "the worst marketing" and "why do this when it's not even April Fool's" were posted by consumers.

Regarding the Whopper discontinuation, Burger King has not issued any official statement to the media. However, through various channels, they have re-announced, "It is true that the sale of the current Whopper is ending," and "Please look forward to the various promotions prepared for the 40th anniversary of the Whopper." This suggests that the Whopper is not being completely discontinued but will be renewed and re-released.

Some argue that the Whopper renewal is ultimately a sneaky policy to raise prices. Previously, Burger King raised prices three times: in January and July 2022, and March last year. As a result, the Whopper price increased from 6,100 won in early January 2022 to 7,100 won in about a year, a 1,000 won increase.