How Burger King’s Viral Song Took TikTok by Storm

At the tail end of 2022, Burger King unveiled a new brand positioning, including a launch campaign and modernised brand tagline, titled ‘You Rule’. This new direction is part of the fast food chain’s ‘Reclaim the Flame’ plan and was developed in partnership with creative agency OKRP. ‘You Rule’ is all about celebrating every guest as royalty in the Burger Kingdom and plays off of the brand’s nostalgic ‘Have it Your Way’ jingle from the ‘70s.

Working with Beacon Street Studios, Burger King brought ‘You Rule’ to life with a new song that is reminiscent of the iconic ‘Have it Your Way’ ads - but no one could have anticipated what this catchy tune has become. With almost seven million views on YouTube and hundreds of thousands of TikToks using the song - and even a Daft Punk-inspired remix - the ‘Whopper Whopper’ song has gone well and truly viral in recent months.

Speaking to LBB’s Ben Conway, the owner of Beacon Street Studios, Andrew Feltenstein says that after long-time collaborator OKRP won the Burger King account, the agency came straight to his studio to create this sonorous sensation. “We had many Zoom meetings with OKRP and discussed how we could keep the brand’s equity in the BK song but at the same time really bring a new perspective to it - something for the kids and for the adults too,” he says.

Both the agency and the Beacon Street Studios team contributed lyrics during the writing process and while the exact secret recipe to this tasty tune remains hidden, Andrew explains that all of his studio’s music is recorded live in-house to ensure it translates well onto TV, where this earworm has gained something of a cult following. He adds, “We have been making music together for over 20 years. It’s the route we have always gone. Live music is the best way to pass any litmus test - you know it when you feel it.”

The catchy vocals on the track - which have been seared into the brains of millions of TikTok users and TV-viewers alike - also have an interesting backstory. When the song was being recorded, conscious alt-hip-hop artist Crown (from Crown & The M.O.B.) was, coincidentally, also in the studio. In a fortunate turn of events, while Beacon Street’s team was finishing the group’s second album, the frontman Crown was offered the chance to record the vocals for the ‘Whopper Whopper’ track and, as Andrew says, “The rest is TV gold!”

While you can’t necessarily manufacture and guarantee a viral hit, Andrew says that there is a certain method and strategy to creating successful earworms. He lists “dedication to the process” as a key factor and explains how you simply have to be “dumb enough and hungry enough” to see the process through. “In other words,” he adds, “create art and don’t take it too seriously. That will always lead the way.”

After seeing the song gain a second life on social media platforms like TikTok, Andrew says that it’s put smiles on the team’s faces as they’ve witnessed a diverse plethora of people getting to enjoy the track - even if they hadn’t seen the ad that was originally broadcast. 

He concludes, “At first we all laughed. Not at it, but just at how far the song has gone and still goes. You never know what is going to stick and what isn’t.”