Burger King is once again showing why they are the kings of fast food viral marketing. The burger chain is now offering Bronx residents a free Whooper for having to deal with tourists visiting the Joker stairs. Back in October when Todd Phillips' movie first opened, the stairs, which are known as the Bronx stairs by locals, started to get flooded with tourists who are all reenacting Joaquin Phoenix's now-famous dance from the movie.
For locals, this has gotten more than a bit annoying, so Burger King is helping them out with a free Whooper delivered by UberEats. "Dear Bronx, we know clowns can be annoying," stated the video, which features some fans dancing on the stairs and even the King himself. Bronx residents just need to put in the code, KINGSTAIRS, to get their free sandwich.
This is obviously a chance to dunk on their main rival McDonald's and their mascot, Ronald McDonald. Burger King's marketing department has been on fire lately, especially with the German division offering up free food to anyone who listened to The Rise of Skywalker spoilers ahead of the movie's release.
The clowns have been annoying to the residents between Shakespeare and Anderson avenues. Joker has inspired thousands of people to make the trip out so they can pose and dance on the steps like Joaquin Phoenix. Residents have taken to social media to beg people to stop coming to the stairs for selfies and Instagram moments, but it has only gotten worse and the stairs have basically become the new Rocky stairs.
U.S. Representative for New York's 14th congressional district, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, spoke out about the stairs when Joker first hit theaters. Ocasio-Cortez is originally from the Bronx and still has immense hometown pride. "When I was growing up, everyone would tell us to stay away from those steps or go with a friend or whatever," says AOC. She then asked that Joker fans please, "keep your Instagram posts outside of the Boogie Down. This is for us." She argued that a lot of people have worked hard to make the Bronx a safer place over the years, which means the residents shouldn't have to deal with any nonsense.
Burger King is with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and the Bronx residents. While a free Whooper isn't that big of a deal, it is a nice gesture and a way to promote Joker coming out on Blu-ray, while also making fun of McDonald's at the same time. It's really just a win/win situation for all parties involved while Ronald McDonald tries to find a way to keep up. Though they have tried in the past, they just can't compete with Burger King when it comes to marketing fast food. You can watch the commercial below, thanks to the Burger King YouTube channel.