This post is one in a series on prominent company nicknames. See all 25, and share your thoughts and memories about BK below in the comments.
Is there any advertising icon more creepy than the Burger King (NYSE: BKC) King? I get nightmares myself every time the mascot appears on the small screen. My opinion, though, may be in a minority since the character seems to be wildly popular.
Unlike McDonald's (NYSE: MCD), Burger King isn't afraid to be edgy and even annoying. I always have to turn the volume down on my TV whenever a BK spot is on the air or my ears will start to bleed otherwise. Burger King tried being like McDonald's and got its butt kicked. I am old enough to remember when the king was a cuddly cartoon. That strategy has now shifted and all of the in-your-face marketing appears to be paying off.
Shares of the number two burger chain are up 17% over the past year as cash-strapped consumers forgo casual dining chains for fast food. Wall Street analysts consider the stock a buy. The company is expected to post earnings of 34 cents per share on revenue of $633.26 million when it reports results Aug. 21, according to Thomson Reuters. Those are respectable numbers especially given the current economic environment.
All is not completely calm in Whopper land. Franchisees are balking at new late-night hours, and the Miami company, like every food business, is being slammed by high commodities prices. But at the end of the day, Mel Brooks had it right in History of the World Part I: "It's good to be the king."
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
8-08-2008 @ 11:50AM
SLEDDY said...
BK IS BUGER SLING
8-08-2008 @ 11:28AM
Jane said...
I've always called it Booger King. Is not that I think the food tastes like boogers, its just that its sub-par compared to McDonalds. I do like the Mocha BK Joe's so I guess they're not so bad.
8-08-2008 @ 12:07PM
S. Shuman said...
Much prefer their real food over McDonalds dry plain fare . You can have stuff added or removed from your sandwich here while this causes a meltdown at McDonalds .
8-08-2008 @ 12:07PM
rob said...
I always callled it dirty burger cause of the worms in there meat myth..I still dont eat there even if it was free for life
8-08-2008 @ 2:07PM
Rob said...
The BK Lounge
8-09-2008 @ 11:46AM
KEVIN said...
Yep, BK Lounge--never just BK.
8-09-2008 @ 6:14PM
Cahya said...
Yummy...I like burger.
8-14-2008 @ 8:05AM
parodymaster said...
I call it "burger thing". Got it from a friend