You heard that right – chicken and fries in one sentence. And it tastes just as appetizing as it sounds. Recently, Burger King put some oomph back into its menu by bringing back a crowd favorite that has been missing for years: chicken fries. Whether you’re a chicken lover, a fries lover, or you simply want the best of both worlds, this is one of the best news yet.
Burger King first made chicken fries available in 2005. In 2012, to the dismay of many fans, the item was discontinued. But all is right with the world again, because Burger King is now bringing it back for a limited time in select stores. But what exactly makes the chicken fries so appealing?
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What’s in a Chicken Fry?
Made up of premium white chicken meat cut and shaped into fries, Burger King’s Chicken Fries can satisfy your craving for something meaty and filling as well as for something fried that you can dip into a range of delectable sauces. To get the delectable texture of potato fries, Chicken Fries are lightly coated with crispy breading that’s perfectly seasoned with a yummy blend of herbs and spices. These are then fried to perfection and served in a box.
An order of nine Chicken Fries will only cost you $2.89, and it is only available for a limited time at select stores nationwide. But bringing back this cult favorite also boils down to the product itself, and the best thing about Chicken Fries is that you can eat it anywhere, whether you’re dining in Burger King or you’re on the go. You can also bring with you your choice of dip, and you have the following options:
• BBQ
• Honey Mustard
• Ranch
• Zesty
• Buffalo
• Sweet & Sour
You will never go wrong with the combination of the savory taste of chicken meat, its wonderful crispiness, and the bonus taste of the dip of your choice. This perfect combination is what makes people come back for more, and is the reason why everyone wanted Chicken Fries back in the first place. But looking at how involved the public was in bringing it back and how social media was used, you can definitely say that Chicken Fries is more than just a simple menu item. You could say it’s a social media phenomenon.
The Power of Social Media
In recent years, the world has been shaped and transformed by social media, and many marketers have had to rethink their strategies to reach an entirely new internet-savvy generation. Fast food restaurants are not an exception, and more and more brands have recognized that they have to be in social media to stay relevant. Burger King’s strategy of bringing back Chicken Fries is not just one that focuses on bringing back a well-loved menu item. It’s something that has taken the online world by storm as well.
The #chickenfriesareback campaign has given Burger King and Chicken Fries an average of 380 tweets per minute. In fact, according to Burger King’s Chief Marketing Officer Eric Hirschhorn, there have been 150,000 total social media mentions only 72 hours from the campaign’s launch. And if you get a Burger King visit out of a curious customer for every single mention, that’s a whole lot of sales from buzz marketing alone.
The relaunch of the Chicken Fries also came with the launching of Burger King’s new Tumblr and Snapchat accounts (it already has Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Vine), which really only goes to show how serious it is in making an impact in social media. This strategy is quite sound, knowing how viral the campaign has gotten. The announcement that the well-loved menu item is back was also done via Twitter.
A Long-Awaited Comeback
Burger King’s strategy of using social media to create hype around the comeback is only right, considering the clamor to bring back the beloved menu item using the same space. Before Burger King officially relaunched the Chicken Fries, it was already getting around 1,000 social mentions in Facebook and Twitter combined. Aside from that, there was even a petition to bring back Chicken Fries using Change.org as a platform.
Clearly, the comeback of the Chicken Fries has been requested by its loyalists for so long. The fact that they used social media as a platform really underscores the importance of listening in on your customer’s sentiments and being present where their voice is most heard. When Chicken Fries finally came back, you could listen in on Twitter and really see how happy this made a lot of people. Of course the next question then becomes how long Burger King will keep this in the menu, but only time will tell. For now, you can go to your nearest Burger King and enjoy your Chicken Fries to the fullest.
