The Battle of the Brands

Brands tend to avoid their competitors through their marketing comms. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this but every so often, it pays to take a risk. That means sharing content that could spark controversy, thrust your organisation into the spotlight, or draw critical attention.

It is becoming more and more common for two brands or maybe more, to have an argy bargy through a variety of mediums. Going back and forth with the objective of getting one over each other and ultimately winning the hearts of the consumer.

Let’s take a look at 4 Brand Wars that have recently caught our eye.

1. BMW Says ‘Thank You’ To Now Former Mercedes CEO

Mercedes and BMW’s rivalry stretches back decades, but that doesn’t stop BMW from giving outgoing Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche a light-hearted tongue-in-cheek farewell video.

BMW thanks their biggest rival for years of competition and wishes him well in his retirement, suggesting he use that new found freedom to try the finer things in life.

2. Burger King vs McDonald’s

In a fun, daring and creative campaign, Burger King encouraged fans to ‘burn’ its rivals in digital platforms, thanks to a new mobile app feature that sets competitor billboards to flames.

The Burn That Ad campaign used augmented reality to allow people to burn the competitor’s ads, by pointing their smartphone towards them. Once burned a Burger King ad appeared in its place. 

3. Elon Musk (and Tesla) vs Porshe

Earlier this month, Tesla CEO Elon Musk poked fun at Porsche on Twitter for advertising the the Porsche Taycan as a Turbo. Musk did not elaborate further, although it was presumed he was referring to the Taycan Turbo’s 0 to 60 mph acceleration time or top speed.

This was clarified two weeks later when a Tesla Model S prototype on the Nurburgring track beat Porsche (Turbo) Taycan’s lap record by 20 seconds, sparking Elon to comment once again.

4. Bud Light vs Miller Lite

Bud Light used its first 60-second 2019 Super Bowl spot to troll some of its fellow light beer friends. Calling on the brand’s now famed medieval cast of characters, including the king and the Bud Knight, Bud Light called out Miller Lite and Coors Light for using corn syrup.

Miller Lite struck back with a campaign that trolled Bud Light’s medieval fantasyland as just that ‘a fantasy’.

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