Will Burger King go for a 'Whoppaslam'?

McDonald's may have rejected the overtures of its main rival, Burger King, which offered suspend hostilities in the 'burger war' and collaborate on a combination of their iconic products, but a mash-up to mark World Peace Day could still be on the cards.

Burger King has written an open letter, published on its website, to rival chains Denny's, Krystal, Wayback Burgers and Giraffas, offering to join forces to create a single "peace day burger" to mark the UN's anti-war campaign on 21 September. It will be sold from a pop-up store that The Guardian says is already "under construction", and all proceeds will go to the Peace One Day charity.

The move follows adverts in USA Today and the New York Times in which Denny's offered to join forces with Burger King, after McDonald's rejected its initial proposal – also delivered in a press advertising campaign – to combine the Big Mac and Whopper for the one-off stunt.

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Instead of the "McWhopper", USA Today says Denny's has proposed a coming-together of the Whopper and its own signature Slamburger, and has suggested names including the "the Whamper, the Slamopper [and] The WhoppaSlam".

Atlanta-based Krystal, which specialises in small hamburgers known as 'sliders', has also proposed that the two brands team up to create a "tiny square Whopper". The new creation could be named "the Kropper, the Wystal, or the Tiny King", it suggests.

It all amounts to a major advertising victory for Burger King – and a missed opportunity for McDonald's. The company was put in a corner by its competitor, says Forbes' Will Burns, and it tried to retain its dignity. But at a time when its sales are falling and its brand identity is being questioned, the company may have missed a trick.

"Burger King scored all the points with this stunt," he says. "All McDonald's did was restore its pride. Have it your way."

McWhopper: Burger King offers to #SettletheBeef with McDonalds

27 August

It may at first seem an odd way to mark a campaign dedicated to the end of conflict, but Burger King has extended an olive branch and offered to cease hostilities, for one day at least, in the 'burger war'.

In two full-page adverts were published in the Wednesday editions of the New York Times and the Chicago Tribune, backed up by a slick website, the fast food giant has offered McDonald's a "ceasefire treaty" under which the rivals would combine their best-known burgers, the Whopper and the Bic Mac, into the 'McWhopper'.

To raise awareness for World Peace Day on 21 September, it proposes to open a pop-up shop in Atlanta, roughly equidistant between the two chains' headquarters, to sell the new burger, which would be made from equal quantities of ingredients from their flagship products. It has even started a hashtag: #SettletheBeef.

The website features a video showing Jeremy Gilley, founder of Peace One Day, supporting the proposal. "Corporate activism on this scale creates mass awareness and awareness creates action and action saves lives," he said. The idea is the brainchild of New Zealand ad agency Y&R.

But McDonalds has so far been unmoved. In a Facebook post, chief executive Steve Easterbrook said while team McDonalds "love the intention", they will instead seek to "raise awareness worldwide" and asked their main competitor to "join us in a meaningful global effort". Signing off, Easterbrook said he would be "in touch" and that "a simple phone call will do next time".

But that might not be the end of it, as ITV reports that fans have lambasted Easterbrook's "passive-aggressive" response and called for McDonalds to reconsider its decision. In a poll running on the site, more than 86 per cent of respondents had predicted that the burger combination would be "like a dream come true".