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How Burger King Could Improve

A couple of days ago I submitted a brief rant about how Burger King failed. This post is meant to provide a few suggestions for how they could improve -- and solicit additional suggestions if you have any.

1) Cross Promote: Work with the Iron Man franchise, Lego MindStorm NXT 2.0 team, and Burger King to have a drawing for a new MindStorm in the image of Iron Man.

2) Sponsor Burger King Science fairs around the country for kids to build their own science projects. Make the prize a trip to the national Burger King Science Fair in Redmond, Washington or Palo Alto, California. Work in partnership with Apple, Microsoft, HP, Caterpillar, Boeing, Genetech, etc. 

3) On a smaller scale - include a coupon redeemable for a free robot kit online.

4) Set up math games online and make it a contest for the chance to win a trip to NASA and meet with some the engineers and astronauts and see a shuttle launch.

5) Tap into kids' creative potential by asking them to design the next toy to go into the Burger King Kids Meal. Define the parameters and provide the tools online they could use to create and submit.

These are obviously some fairly basic ideas. In general, the toys in kids meals are irrelevant and useless. More so when they perpetuate outdated cultural norms like mirrors for girls and guns for boys.

Can more be done? I would like to think so. What do you think?

How Burger King Failed

My expectations for fast food are never very high, but my disappointment in Burger King recently reached an all time low. In my opinion, Burger King failed.

I am a huge fan of Iron Man and superheros in general. In my younger days, I was one... often. Burger King recently offered Iron Man swag as part of its kid's meal. The sack is pictured to the left.

Once I took a closer look, though, my disappointment set in. The boys get action figures and girls get jewelry and mirrors. Is this really how corporation American thinks? Are we still attempting to pigeon-hole boys and girls into assumed roles?

I am the father of three girls -- all who have the capability of becoming scientists and engineers. In fact, my oldest, when she was nine years old, saved up some money and bought her first robot. My son (the youngest) is an incredible artist and has the verbal acuity of his elder sisters. All of them would love to get a LEGO MindStorm NXT 2.0 for Christmas.

It is obvious, therefore, Burger King failed in not recognizing that girls are just as able to become the next Tony Stark as boys. They missed a golden opportunity to promote Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. Instead, they opted for the least creative and most unimaginative twaddle, appealing to children's vanity rather than their intellect. They failed to help make society just a little better by inspiring children to pursue the science and technology.

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) is a major focus of the National Science Foundation as well as the U.S. Department of Education. The STEM action plan for a 21st Century education can be found here.

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