Fast food giant Burger King is using a mobile application as part of a multichannel effort to push its newly revamped breakfast menu.

Through the next 11 weeks, the Miami-based chain will market its menu via a multichannel campaign that includes its mobile application, digital banner ads and out-of-home advertising. The campaign supports what Burger King claims to be its largest menu launch yet.

The restaurant chain declined to comment on this article.

“Who’s using [these applications] are the same people who grab loyalty cards and want to earn the free meal after 10,” said Michael Burke, cofounder and president of appssavvy, New York.

“These are your customers, not potential customers,” he said. “And apps, like loyalty programs, can increase order size and more.”

Burger King operates 12,150 fast-food restaurants nationwide and in 76 countries.

Campaign king
Burger King’s new breakfast items include the BK Breakfast Ciabatta Club Sandwich, Mini Blueberry Biscuits, the BK Ultimate Breakfast Platter and Seattle’s Best Coffee. All new items and the traditional BK Breakfast Value Meal are being promoted.

In addition to its mobile efforts, Burger King will also be promoting the breakfast menu with a new 60-second television commercial starting Sept. 13.

After the initial commercial runs, Burger King will break 30-second targeted spots featuring specific items.

In 2009 the fast-food franchise entered the mobile scene with an application that allowed consumers to place orders and pay for them with their iPhone (see story).

The chain partnered in June with Loopt, a location-based social mapping service, to promote a mobile check-in that offered consumers free food and drinks (see story).

Faster food
In this day and age, a presence on the mobile Web and within mobile applications is necessary, even for fast-food chains.

Burger King’s main competitor, McDonald’s, last week teamed up with Brightkite and Visa to reward loyal mobile consumers with a $5 Visa Gift Card (see story).

Also, the Five Guys burger chain upped its mobile ante in June by allowing consumers to place orders directly from their mobile phones (see story).

“People are still in discovery mode for mobile applications,” appssavvy‘s Mr. Burke said.

“They are building their mobile app war chest and brands want to be there, not to mention the utility they can provide customers,” he said.

Final Take
Kaitlyn Bonneville, editorial assistant at Mobile Commerce Daily, New York