BK Stevenage Challenge: Burger King used FIFA 20 to put Messi in its shirt

Burger King put Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar into shirts carrying its logo without signing endorsement deals with any of them.

The images came from FIFA 20.

Burger King sponsored Stevenage FC, a small English football club playing in League Two. Since the club was licensed for FIFA 20, its Burger King-branded shirts also appeared inside the game.

Gamers could then transfer the world’s best players to Stevenage, score goals with them and share the clips for free Burger King food.

A League Two sponsorship opened FIFA 20

Football shirt sponsorships become more expensive as clubs attract larger audiences. Burger King found a different way to measure the value of a team.

Stevenage FC played in the fourth level of English professional football and attracted relatively small matchday crowds. However, the club appeared alongside the world’s biggest teams inside FIFA 20.

The game reproduced each licensed club’s real shirts, including sponsor logos. Therefore, placing Burger King on Stevenage’s physical kit also placed the brand inside the game.

FIFA 20’s Career Mode added the final part of the idea. Players could manage Stevenage and sign footballers from other clubs.

Once Messi, Ronaldo, Neymar, Mohamed Salah or Paul Pogba joined the virtual team, they appeared in Stevenage shirts carrying the Burger King logo.

The sponsorship connected a small real-world club to one of the world’s largest football gaming audiences.

Goals became Burger King vouchers

Created by DAVID Madrid and DAVID Miami, the BK Stevenage Challenge launched in October 2019.

Burger King asked FIFA 20 players to select Stevenage and complete different scoring tasks. Some challenges involved a standard goal, while harder ones required a free kick, a direct corner or a shot from beyond the halfway line.

Other tasks connected football actions with items from the Burger King menu. One example, “A Nutmeg for Nuggets,” rewarded players for putting the ball between an opponent’s legs.

Participants recorded their successful goals and shared the clips on social media. Burger King then supplied food rewards, including Whoppers, fries and free delivery.

The structure gave players several reasons to continue. Easier challenges encouraged participation, while more difficult goals created better clips for sharing.

Career Mode also allowed each participant to build a different Stevenage squad. Consequently, social feeds filled with famous virtual footballers wearing the same red and white Burger King shirt.

Stevenage became the biggest club online

The challenge ran for just over two weeks.

During that period, gamers shared more than 25,000 goals while playing as Stevenage. The club became the most-used team in FIFA 20 Career Mode during the activation.

The digital popularity also created physical demand. Stevenage sold out its home shirt for the first time in the club’s history, while merchandise sales increased by 300%.

Effectiveness reporting recorded more than 227 million media impacts and over 150 media placements. Burger King’s app awareness in the United Kingdom also increased by eight percentage points.

The results reached both sides of the partnership. Burger King gained football content featuring the world’s most recognisable players, while Stevenage received global attention that its league position could not provide alone.

The club’s shirt became desirable because gamers had already turned it into a familiar object online.

The logo travelled further than the shirt

The campaign used an existing connection between professional football and its digital version.

Burger King did not need to build a football game or purchase a separate integration from the publisher. The licensed Stevenage kit already carried the logo into FIFA 20.

However, appearing in the game was only the first step. The scoring challenges gave people a reason to choose Stevenage instead of another club.

Food rewards then encouraged players to record and publish their goals. Each shared clip moved the Burger King logo from the game into social feeds.

The campaign also gave a traditional sponsorship a purpose beyond visibility. Stevenage’s real shirt unlocked the digital platform. FIFA’s transfer system supplied the famous players. Gamers produced the content, while Burger King rewarded their participation.

In 2021, the campaign won three Cannes Lions Grand Prix in Direct, Social & Influencer, and Brand Experience & Activation. It also received a Titanium Lion.

A sponsorship of one of England’s smallest professional clubs had become one of Burger King’s most awarded global campaigns.

Credits

BK Stevenage Challenge (2019). Brand: Burger King. Football Club: Stevenage FC. Agencies: DAVID Madrid and DAVID Miami. Global Chief Creative Officer: Pancho Cassis. Executive Creative Directors: Saulo Rocha and André Toledo. Group Creative Directors: Fernando Pellizzaro and Jean Zamprogno. Creative Director: Fred Bosch. Copywriters: Luis Giraldo, Alexander Allen and Jared Schermer. Art Directors: Pedro Sattin, Andy Tamayo and Felipe Antonioli. Head of Social: Alex Sanchez. Strategy Director: Jon Carlaw. Production: Landia. Animation: Mr. Klauss. PR: ABMC. Media: Horizon Media and Scout. Platform: FIFA 20.