The burger bite that revealed three brand personalities

By Judith Silva

When the CEO of the world’s biggest fast-food brand sits down on camera to try a new burger, you would normally expect a polished product moment. Instead, the internet got something far more interesting. 

Before getting into it, a small confession. I have always had a soft spot for Macca’s. My husband spent 13 years working there and more than a few of my kids’ birthday parties were held under the golden arches. 

Which is probably why this recent viral moment caught my attention. 

A few weeks ago, McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski posted a video tasting the company’s new Big Arch burger, a menu item being tested in several markets globally. Sitting behind a desk, he unwraps the burger, talks through the launch and takes a careful bite. 

It was meant to be a straightforward product moment. Instead, the video clip went viral. 

Viewers quickly began sharing the video across TikTok, X and LinkedIn, pointing out the slightly stiff tone and the way Kempczinski repeatedly referred to the burger as “the product”. Many joked that the CEO looked like someone who had never eaten a burger before. Within hours the internet had turned the clip into a meme. 

Major news outlets picked up the story as the video travelled far beyond McDonald’s own channels. 

Then the competition stepped in. 

The rivals turned a moment into a brand stage

Burger King was first to react. Its North American president filmed his own taste test video, taking a confident bite of a Whopper while playfully referencing the viral moment. The tone was relaxed, cheeky and unmistakably competitive. 

Wendy’s followed with its own response video featuring its U.S. president enthusiastically cooking and eating a Baconator while throwing in a few light-hearted digs. 

What began as a single awkward clip quickly became a social media burger battle between fast-food leaders, with executives themselves stepping into the spotlight. 

At first glance it looked like a simple viral moment. But take a step back and something more revealing appears. The three brands showed exactly who they are.  

McDonald’s behaved like, well, McDonald’s

Kempczinski’s original video was calm, corporate and carefully delivered. Some viewers mocked it, but it actually reflected the McDonald’s brand perfectly. This is a company operating in more than 100 countries and serving millions of customers every day. Its voice has always leaned towards reassurance and scale rather than internet sarcasm. 

What matters is what happened next. McDonald’s did not ignore the moment. As the video began circulating online, the brand leaned into the attention. It engaged with the conversation, amplified the content and used the unexpected spotlight to drive awareness of the Big Arch burger. An awkward clip became a global product conversation. 

Burger King did what Burger King always does

Burger King has spent years positioning itself as the challenger willing to poke at competitors. From billboards trolling McDonald’s to provocative social media campaigns, the brand thrives on playful provocation. Its response to the Big Arch video did not require a new strategy. It simply joined the moment, leaned into the humour and nudged the conversation in its direction. 

Because the tone was consistent with years of brand behaviour, the response felt natural rather than opportunistic.  

Wendy’s stayed true to its internet personality

Wendy’s has built one of the most recognisable brand voices on social media. Its accounts became famous for sarcastic replies and playful brand banter long before most companies understood how to behave online. The CEO response video followed that same playbook. 

The tone was confident, irreverent and designed for social sharing. Again, nothing about the response was surprising. And that is precisely why it worked. 

Viral moments reveal brand truth

The interesting part of this story is not that a video went viral. It is what the moment exposed. 

When something unexpected takes off online, brands cannot rely on a content calendar or carefully scripted messaging. They respond in real time, and those reactions reveal whether a brand voice truly exists inside the organisation or only lives inside a guideline document. 

In other words, the reactions were not improvised. They were brand behaviour playing out in real time. 

The real lesson for communications teams

For anyone working in PR, marketing or corporate communications, the lesson is simple: viral moments do not create brand voice. They simply reveal whether it truly exists. 

The strongest brands understand their identity so clearly that even an unexpected moment becomes an opportunity rather than a risk. McDonald’s did not try to erase the awkwardness of the original clip. It leaned into the attention and allowed the conversation to grow. 

And in the process, millions of people who had never heard of the Big Arch burger suddenly knew exactly what it was.