14 DAY TRIAL // Who could have guessed that the culinary marriage between a Windows operating system brand and a meat monstrosity would be a commercial success? Well, Burger King and Microsoft managed to put together just such an oddball offering for customers with a taste for both Windows 7 and burgers, and the resulting marketing stunt was nothing short of a success.
Burger King’s 15 stores in Japan sold approximately 10,000 Windows 7 Whoppers in the seven days after the general availability of Microsoft's latest Windows client, which hit store shelves on October 22nd, 2009. (via Time)
The image on the left of this article features the Windows 7 Whopper in all its splendor, and it is all that meat aficionados outside of Japan have to “feast on.” Neither Microsoft nor Burger King have made plans public to internationalize the 5-inch (12 cm) tower of meat offering stacked with no less than seven beef patties. This, despite the fact that the Windows 7 Whopper was a hit with carnivorous Japanese customers, capable of gorging down on nearly a kilogram of meat in a single burger.
Burger King’s Windows 7 Whopper promotion was designed to last only a week (seven days), in concert with the launch of Windows 7. Given the volume of burgers sold, the offering was extended until November 6th. Only the first 30 burgers in every store get a special price of 777 yen ($8.55). The full price of this meat monstrosity is 1,450 yen ($16).
The Windows 7 Whopper managed to do more than just fill mouths and stretch stomachs of Japanese Burger King customers, it also succeeded in going viral. Videos of people attempting to consume whoppers have been posted all over the web, a clear indication that the calorie content, in excess of 2,000, of the burger is by no means a deterrent.