Burger King mascot kisses Ronald McDonald to mark Pride in Finland

Burger King and McDonalds kiss in Helsinki
The Burger King campaign on a bus shelter in Helsinki (Photo: Burger King)

An official Burger King campaign in Finland shows the brand’s mascot – the Burger King – embracing the mascot of rival fast-food chain, McDonald’s.

The campaign is running in Finland to mark Pride week in Helsinki (September, 7-13). The festival will not be going ahead as usual because of COVID-19 restrictions. However, there will instead be a mixture of real and virtual events, including a virtual parade on Saturday (September, 12).

Related: Watch Adam Rippon goes hiking in Finland with his boyfriend

Burger King decided to mark the occasion with an eye-catching campaign. It’s erected posters around the city and placed print advertising with a painting of the two mascots embracing to demonstrate that “Love conquers all.”

“Burger King has always stood for equality, love, and everyone’s right to be just the way they are,” said Burger King Finland’s brand manager Kaisa Kasila in a statement.

“The only instance where it might not seem so is when we’re bantering with our competitor. But we want to be clear – it all stems from the respect we have for them. And we know McDonald’s stands for the values we stand for, too.

“The idea behind the painting sprung from our desire to celebrate love in all forms. We thought, what a better way to convey our values than by portraying an all-encompassing kiss between Burger King and McDonald. We wanted to show that in the end, love always wins”, continued Kasila.

(Image: Burger King)

This is not the first time Burger King has marked Pride around the world. Earlier this summer, Burger King in Mexico renamed itself on its social media channels as Burger Queer for Pride.

Related: This global burger chain just renamed itself for pride in Mexico 

It previously sold a ‘Proud’ rainbow-wrapped Whopper in the US to mark San Francisco Pride.

Thinking of a vacation in Scandinavia? Helsinki is very much the gay destination of choice in Finland, with around a dozen LGBTQ venues.

Although there will be no organized parade this year in the city, organizers are encouraging locals to gather in small groups, carry signs and wear rainbows and make their own way around the city on Saturday. There will also be an online parade from noon.

Check out Helsinki Pride 2020 for more information about this year’s festivities.

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