Burger King Corp. (NYSE:BKC – News) announced it has launched a marketing campaign highlighting its diversity and inclusion initiatives nationwide. The “Real People, Real Success” campaign shines the spotlight on BKC’s diverse employees, suppliers, and franchisees. The first ad from the campaign appeared during the National Council of La Raza’s national conference in Miami (July 21–24), the premier event for Latinos, hosted by the largest Hispanic civil rights advocacy organization in the country.
With an initial focus on print ads, the campaign consists of a series of real-life testimonials of Hispanic, African American, and Asian franchisees and suppliers. One ad–a stylized black-and-white portrait–highlights a Cuban-American businessman who began as a BK restaurant employee and now owns almost 40 Burger King restaurants. Another ad showcases an African American businesswoman who is one of BKC’s largest suppliers. All the ads were designed to honor the diverse workforce and business partners who have made the Burger King system one of the largest quick-service restaurant franchises in the world.
One of the success stories highlighted in the ads is Robespierre St. Juste, a BKC franchisee who rose through the ranks from an assistant manager position to become the owner of 15 Burger King restaurants in San Antonio. “What started as a temporary job became an amazing and successful journey, filled with opportunity for growth and development. For the past 25 years, BURGER KING(R) restaurants have not only been my real job, they’ve also been my real life,” says St. Juste, a native of Haiti.
“BKC is committed to showing its support for a diverse workforce and business partnerships,” says Cirabel Lardizabal Olson, director of inclusion and external affairs, BKC. “One of our biggest strengths is our respect for inclusion, which helps reflect the demographics of our market today and our customers’ reality.”
The marketing and communications initiative was developed for Burger King Corporation by its Diversity and Inclusion agency, República.
