Market segmentation for world-leading chain Burger King

A need for consumer insights to create a competitive advantage

Burger King wanted to be more targeted in the UK to grow share in the crowded UK quick service restaurant (QSR) market. Management wanted a clear view of their opportunity to support a fresh perspective on the proposition, brand and marketing to align with a new strategic direction.

Building on internal knowledge to deliver a fresh perspective for Burger King

We carved up the UK QSR market into a series of instantly recognisable, highly targetable occasion segments. Informed first by in-restaurant ethnography and then validated through quant research. Subsequent proposition assessments allowed us to assess competitor ability to serve these different types of visits and identify opportunities for our client to do better at serving the target customers. We collaborated with the senior leadership team through a series of workshops to choose where to play and to identify how to win.

Benefits for business, consumers and the planet

As a result of our collaboration, Burger King has tailored its offer to suit new priority visit occasions. This new strategic direction was far reaching, with implications for marcoms, promotional mechanisms, restaurant format, estate planning and product offer. We continue to support the business in the roll-out of key consumer-centric initiatives. This included validating and championing the decision to remove plastic toys from kids’ meals, demonstrating that sustainability is increasingly high on the agenda of their customers.

Read more about the outcome of our work

BBC News: Burger King ditches free toys and will ‘melt’ old ones