Burger King did something pretty bold in one of its biggest commercials of 2026: it fired the King. Not metaphorically, either. In its new “There’s a New King and It’s You” campaign, Burger King officially retires its longtime King mascot from the brand’s advertising and hands the crown to its customers instead. The 90-second commercial debuted in March and openly acknowledges some of Burger King’s problems before explaining what the company has been doing to fix them.
And I really like this one, because Burger King didn’t throw away everything recognizable about its brand in an attempt to look new again. It took something people already associated with Burger King and gave it a new meaning.
There’s a great small-business lesson in that.
Burger King Didn’t Pretend Everything Was Fine
The commercial opens by looking back at Burger King’s history and then does something brands aren’t always particularly excited to do: it admits things haven’t always been great.
Burger King talks about old restaurants, slow service and simple mistakes. The commercial even incorporates real criticism from customers before explaining that the company started listening and making changes. Burger King President Tom Curtis narrates the spot, and the King himself gets fired before the commercial announces that customers are taking his place.
This wasn’t just a funny idea somebody came up with for a commercial. Burger King says the campaign reflects a turnaround that’s been happening over the past five years, including restaurant modernization, operational improvements and more opportunities for customers to give feedback.
That’s what makes the commercial more interesting to me.
The New King Is the Customer
The campaign takes an incredibly recognizable piece of Burger King’s identity and flips it.
Instead of Burger King = the King mascot, Burger King is now saying you are the King. The company isn’t abandoning the crown, royalty language or even the word “King.” It’s shifting who gets to occupy that role.
And this isn’t completely out of nowhere. Burger King’s previous “You Rule” positioning, launched in 2022, was already designed around putting customers at the center of the brand. Burger King described “You Rule” as an evolution of its famous “Have It Your Way” message, so “There’s a New King and It’s You” feels much more like the next chapter than an entirely different book.
That distinction matters for small businesses because we have a tendency to think change requires replacement.
It doesn’t always.
You Probably Don’t Need to Throw Away Your Brand
I see this happen all the time with small businesses and content creators. Something starts feeling stale, so suddenly we’re questioning the logo, colors, niche, tagline, website, Instagram bio. And possibly our entire career path by 2:00 p.m. lol
But sometimes the recognizable parts of your brand are exactly what you should protect.
Burger King could have tried to completely reinvent itself. Instead, it kept the language and imagery people already associate with the company and found a more relevant way to use them. That’s a much smarter question for small businesses to ask when their marketing starts feeling stale:
What already works that I could use differently?
Maybe your positioning is still right, but your content needs better hooks. Maybe your visual identity works, but your website needs to explain your offer more clearly. Or, maybe your core message is strong, but you’ve been communicating it exactly the same way for three years.
Evolution and reinvention are not the same thing.
But There’s Another Reason This Commercial Works
This is actually my favorite part of the campaign: the marketing reflects something happening inside the business.
Burger King didn’t simply announce that customers are King and call it a day. The company has been actively collecting customer feedback and making changes based on what people tell them. Burger King says customers have influenced changes to the Whopper, and earlier this year it even publicly invited people to call or text President Tom Curtis with their experiences.
And the campaign hasn’t stopped with the commercial. In July, Burger King introduced a “Your Way Champion” restaurant role and a Whopper Guarantee after receiving thousands of calls and texts through its listening initiative. In August, it announced reformulated chicken nuggets and sauces that it says were also developed in response to customer feedback.
That’s important because great marketing can’t permanently cover up a mediocre experience.
You can have beautiful branding, perfectly optimized content and an Instagram account that would make Canva herself proud, but eventually the actual business has to deliver what the marketing promises.
What Small Businesses Can Learn From Burger King
If you’re considering changing your branding or marketing, I wouldn’t start with “What can we make new?” Start by figuring out what’s already worth keeping.
What do customers already associate with you? What do they consistently compliment? Is there a certian language that keeps appearing in reviews? What products, services or ideas are you becoming known for? Those are assets, even if you’re personally a little tired of looking at them.
Then look at what actually needs improvement.
Final Thoughts
Burger King’s new commercial isn’t interesting because it fired a slightly creepy mascot. Although, admittedly, that makes for a pretty good opening. 😂
It’s interesting because Burger King managed to change without pretending its history didn’t exist. The company kept recognizable pieces of its brand, changed what they meant and connected the new message to actual changes happening inside the business.
Small businesses don’t always need a dramatic rebrand when something feels stale. Sometimes you need to listen to your customers, improve what’s not working and find a better way to communicate what was worth keeping all along.
That’s a much better reason to change your marketing than simply being bored with it.
More Marketing Lessons Without Watching Commercials All Day
This is exactly the kind of thing I love breaking down in The Daily Pour. I keep an eye on interesting commercials, creator news, social media updates and changes in the content industry, then figure out what they’re actually teaching us about creating better content and becoming easier to find online.
If you’d like someone else to do the internet-watching portion of your marketing strategy, subscribe to The Daily Pour. I’ll bring you the things worth paying attention to, preferably with coffee.
FAQ: Burger King’s “There’s a New King and It’s You” Commercial
What is Burger King’s “There’s a New King and It’s You” commercial?
“There’s a New King and It’s You” is Burger King’s 2026 U.S. advertising campaign that officially replaces the brand’s King mascot with its customers as the symbolic “King.” The campaign focuses on Burger King’s efforts to listen to customer feedback and improve its restaurants, operations and food.
When did Burger King’s new King commercial come out?
Burger King’s “There’s a New King and It’s You” commercial was released in March 2026. Burger King’s official YouTube video was published March 15, and the company formally announced the campaign on March 16.
Did Burger King get rid of the King mascot?
Burger King says the campaign officially fires the King mascot, who had already been absent from the company’s marketing communications in recent years. The campaign instead places Burger King’s customers in the role of King.
What can small businesses learn from Burger King’s campaign?
The biggest lesson is that a brand can evolve without discarding everything people already recognize. Businesses can retain strong brand assets and positioning while finding new ways to communicate them, especially when the new marketing reflects genuine improvements happening inside the business.
