As it looks to reclaim its second-place perch with an increased focus in advertising, Burger King is naming Patrick “Pat” O’Toole its chief marketing officer for the United States and Canada. O’Toole will begin the role on Feb. 6.
O’Toole comes to the RBI brand after nearly a year as chief marketing officer for PepsiCo’s Mountain Dew brand. O’Toole spent nearly 15 years at PepsiCo, starting off as an associate marketing manager in 2008. Before that, he spent time as a marketing manager for General Electric.
O’Toole’s responsibilities will include leading marketing efforts to help grow traffic, accelerate sales growth and amplify the fundamental advancements the brand is making to the guest experience in support of the brand’s existing “Reclaim the Flame” plan.
“We are excited to welcome Pat to the Burger King leadership team and broader BK family,” Tom Curtis, president of Burger King North America, said in a statement. “Pat joins us at a milestone moment for the brand and brings the right combination of perspective, experience and expertise to position BK for success in 2023 and beyond.”
Curtis also said O’Toole will strengthen and build on the brand’s existing collaborative plans with franchisees.
Filling a gap
O’Toole fills a CMO role for Burger King that has been vacant since November 2021 when Ellie Doty, the first North American CMO for the brand, departed. At the time, Burger King told Adweek the decision was personal.
Yosef Hojchman served as interim CMO after Doty’s departure but left to become CMO of fellow RBI brand Firehouse Subs this month.
Burger King’s “Reclaim the Flame” plan was announced in September and will see the Whopper maker invest $400 million over the next two years into the business. Approximately $150 million will be invested into advertising while the remaining $250 million will go to digital investments such as restaurant technology, kitchen equipment, building enhancements and high-quality remodels and relocations.
It comes after Burger King’s fall in the always compelling Burger Wars. In 2020, Burger King fell from its usual second-place sales rank behind McDonald’s to third place behind Wendy’s. This led to the QSR putting its creative and media accounts in review last year.
The first project under the new plan was the “You Rule” campaign created by new AOR OKRP in October that was a remixed take on Burger King’s classic “have it your way” tagline. The campaign repositioned the brand’s focus even more toward consumers.
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