One of the biggest moments of the year for fast food enthusiasts is when McDonald’s teases the return of the McRib sandwich, because even though it doesn’t taste a thing like an actual rib, people love to pretend like it’s the greatest thing on Earth. That’s why McDonald’s is the king of the fast food business when it comes to milking our undying love of nostalgia, because that one menu item is like the carrot dangling in front of our stuffed horse faces. Burger King, on the other hand, believes in the long tease, which is why the McD’s rival is bringing back the Yumbo 40 years after it was discontinued.
Like Coca-Cola with Surge and Mars with the Crispy M&M’s, Burger King already caved to the all-powerful pressure of social media earlier this year when officials announced the return of chicken fries, but the Yumbo is something entirely different. This is a chance for BK’s social media teams to get funky with their bad selves and bring the 1970s to fans on Facebook.
To promote the relaunch, Burger King is tapping into customers’ nostalgia by revamping its social media accounts with 1970s-style imagery and dating Facebook posts as published in 1974.
Apparently it’s all about nostalgia. “Our strategy to selectively bring back favorite foods has helped us connect with our guests while also driving business results,” Burger King chief marketing officer Eric Hirschhorn said in a statement. (Via Entrepreneur)
Obviously, a lot of us weren’t around way back in 1974 when the Yumbo was discontinued, so we have no clue what the heck it is. Turns out it’s a hot ham and cheese sandwich, so good news for people who want to eat the most boring fast food meals on the planet. But at least Burger King is committed to the bit.
The time stamps on Burger King’s Facebook posts have the company operating in ’74, as models take selfies with gigantic Polaroid cameras…
… and enjoying their Yumbos while jamming out to their favorite 8-track tapes.
As long as we’re at it, can we bring back Angie Dickinson in 1974’s Big Bad Mama? She was way hotter than a ham sandwich.