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The most interesting wrinkle may be McDonald’s decision to extend the “It’s a little bit fancy” slogan to breakfast for the first time. The line is used to introduce two new morning-menu items: a Rosti Brekkie Wrap (an egg, bacon and fried potato patty wrapped in a tortilla) and a Bakehouse Brekkie Roll (egg, fried-potato patty, bacon and onion relish on a sourdough roll).

Obviously, the “little bit fancy” positioning is one that McDonald’s can use elsewhere. That includes the U.S., if it chooses, as it takes its menu more upscale with items such as the $1.99 Angus Snack Wrap it rolls out nationally here on Aug. 10.

The back-and-forth battle between McDonald’s and Hungry Jack’s over Angus burgers and breakfast item has been one of the most active and interesting conflicts in the global burger marketplace. Hungry Jack’s brought back its Angry Angus burger earlier this summer before replacing it with the Bourbon Whopper. It’s latest breakfast offer is the “Wrap & Cap” deal, which combines a sausage-bacon-egg-and-cheese tortilla wrap plus an espresso.

Ξ Don’t cry for Argentina. You can buy a Big Mac there for the equivalent of $1.78, compared with the U.S. average of $3.73, according to the latest Big Mac Index from The Economist. But Argentina isn’t the only country getting away cheaply. In Hong Kong, the Big Mac is $1.90; in the rest of China it’s the equivalent of $1.95.
    Who pays the most? Norwegians, who count out the equivalent of $7.20. But instead of Big Macs, Norwegians likely are indulging in the ongoing McFeast Festival, which includes Bacon, Xtra Cheese, Chicken and Chili (at right) versions of McDonald’s McFeast. Also offered are Hot Wings for the equivalent of $4 for three wings.

Ξ Cheeseburgers are in the spotlight, too, at Johnny Rockets. Succeeding Rockets Melts as the chain’s specials is the “Rockin’ Summer Cheeseburgers” lineup, which includes the Rocket Double Cheeseburger, Smoke House Cheeseburger, Bacon Cheeseburger and Route 66 Cheeseburger.

Ξ Earlier this year we reported on Kansas City’s Blanc Burgers + Bottles opening its smaller b:2 restaurant. Since then, the burger concept that won this year’s BurgerBusiness Burger Brackets has kicked expansion plans into a higher gear. Blanc will be selling burgers next year during Kansas City Chiefs games at Arrowhead Stadium.
And Co-Owner Josh Eans says he expects Blanc will open in Little Rock, Ark., in the next few months, followed by a first location in Omaha, Neb.

McDonald’s became the world’s largest restaurant brand by watchin g, learning and adapting. Today’s second-quarter earnings call shows it still knows how to spot a trend.

McDonald’s reported a 4.8% increase in global comparable sales for the quarter, including a 3.7% improvement in the U.S. and Europe jumping 5.2%. Although the economic picture—here and overseas—remains unpredictable and generally unsteady, the company still reported a 10% improvement in operating income and a 12% spike in net income.

In the U.S. at least, that strong showing was attributable in large part to beverages. The chain’s “every large drink is $1” offer and the introduction of Frappés have taken the chain closer to its goal of being a “beverage destination” for customers. The Real Fruit Smoothies introduction that McDonald’s COO Don Thompson told analysts is “blowing away” even its rosiest sales expectations should help even more.

If high-profit beverages can compensate for depressed economies, you can be certain we’ll see more new McCafé drinks soon. McDonald’s is testing Frozen Strawberry Lemonade in Michigan; Rochester, N.Y.; and Austin and El Paso, Texas. The chain acknowledged the test this morning but wouldn’t say if or when a lemonade rollout can be expected. But watch for it.

If McDonald’s Premium Roast coffee targeted Starbucks, strawberry lemonade is a counter to Sonic, which has built its brand around its beverage menu more than any other quick-service chain. Among current limited-time offers at Sonic are Sparkling Lemonade and Sparkling Strawberry Lemonade. But Sonic isn’t alone in seeing lemonade as a summer sales star. Other recent menu additions include: Frozen Strawberry Lemonade at Panera Bread; Cherry Lemonade at Ted’s Montana Grill; Blackberry Lemonade and Raspberry Lemonade at Burgerville; and Fruit Flavored Limeade at A&W.

McDonald’s this week invited Canadians to visit its Facebook page and vote for either the Big Mac or the Quarter Pounder with Cheese as their favorite sandwich. A pair of giant hot-air balloons—one for each sandwich-- hovering over Landmark, Manitoba, give real-time  updates on the voting: whichever balloon is floating higher in the sky is the current leading vote-getter. As of this morning, the Big Mac balloon held a slight advantage, according to live, streaming video on the site.

Voting for the promotion, reported in detail by Marketing magazine, runs through July 28. McDonald’s Canada agency Cossette and digital shop Fjord developed the multimedia effort, which is a clever blend of social media, traditional media and one of the very oldest communications media: smoke signals.

But the promotion also is the latest manifestation of McDonald’s exploration of relationship building through social media and of brand building through nationalism. A 90-second video (see it at left) on the Canada-specific Facebook page explains the Big Mac vs. QPC contest and the choice of Landmark, a town at the physical center of Canada. Reinforcing the “us” tone, the voiceover describes tiny Landmark as “the bulls-eye, the sweet spot, the heart of our country. Whatever you call it, this little stretch of land means a lot to our great nation.” The focus here is on Canadian national pride as much as it is on burgers. And that’s not a bad thing.

Beyond promoting the Big Mac and QPC, the marketing program celebrates Canada, McDonald’s and the bond that connects country, brand and consumers. This strategy certainly isn’t unique to McDonald’s. Banker UBS’s “you and us…UBS” tagline tries to establish a similar though more-limited connection. What McDonald’s is doing is far more ambitious because it is tailoring this “you, us and our country, together” theme to the markets in which it operates. Some recent examples:

• In the United Kingdom, a new TV commercial celebrates that nation’s unpredictable weather as a way to spotlight local agriculture and McDonald’s local-buying commitments.
• In Australia last year, McDonald’s introduction of Angus burgers was accompanied by a TV spot celebrating the nation’s cattle ranchers and the chain’s longtime support of them.
• In Switzerland earlier this year, McDonald’s launched a multilingual campaign for new burgers representing each of the nation’s three regions, with advertising in the three languages spoken there.
• In Italy the chain introduced the McItaly burger in conjunction with the government and Italian suppliers to spotlight product quality and local sourcing.

There are many other examples of localization/nationalism in McDonald’s approach, and the benefits for the chain are many. It positions the Golden Arches as being an integral part of a nation’s personality and culture as well as of its commerce. It localizes a global brand, suggesting McDonald’s understands what it means to be a citizen of [insert nation here] as opposed to being a global behemoth (although only a company that spends more than $1.2 billion annually on advertising just in the U.S. could afford to divert some funds to this brand-building effort). It also puts a familiar, friendly face on the brand and in so doing helps protect it against critics who may not like its food, its marketing, its mascot or whatever. In sum, it is at once an offensive and defensive maneuver worth watching, understanding and even, for its competitors, mimicking.

While the California Whopper goes on tour across Europe, Burger King has taken its Bourbon Whopper to Australia (where the chain operates as Hungry Jack’s rather than BK).

After a trial run in Canada, the chain has decided to market the Bourbon Whopper as having “the taste of the Deep South.” In advertising, “bourbon” now seems to refer to the street in New Orleans more than the distilled spirit from Kentucky. The sandwich wasn’t this cool in its previous incarnation. The Australian version keeps the crunchy onion rings, bacon and bourbon-flavored sauce it had in Canada, although the sauce no longer is described as “sweet and tangy.”

In addition to the full-size, two-hand Bourbon Whopper ($5.95 AUS, or $5.18 US), Australia also gets the option of a downsized Bourbon Whopper Jr. ($3.95 AUS or $3.44 US), a first for this sandwich

The Bourbon Whopper first appeared as one of the specialty Whoppers on Burger King’s Whopper Bar menu, and it’s still menued at both the Orlando and South Beach locations. According to a report earlier this year from Janney Montgomery Scott analyst Mark Kalinowski, Burger King remains interested in selling the sandwich in the U.S. if it can find a spot on the chain’s already-crowded marketing calendar.

[7/21: Winner! The Netherlands also gets a Double California Whopper.]
[7/16 Update: It's spreading. In Germany and Austria, BK has added not only the California Whopper but also a California Wrap and a Texican Burrito. To watch the Monologue commercial about the California Whopper, go here.]

“Catch a wave and you’re sitting on top of the world,” the Beach Boys tell us, and Burger King has gotten the message, about both the surfer ethos and globalization. “Greetings from California” begins the chain’s online marketing for the California Whopper. “Sit back, relax and enjoy.”

And where can we find this tribute to California’s laid-back, fun-and-sun-loving beach culture? Surf’s up in Scandinavia, dude!

In Norway, Sweden and Denmark, Burger King is promoting the California Whopper, a variation on its signature burger with guacamole, lettuce, tomato, bacon and chipotle-ranch dressing. It’s a 703-calorie, 40 grams of fat summer indulgence. In Norway, at least, there’s a local angle: marketing boasts that the burger is made with 100% Norwegian beef. Mmm.

Check your notes and you’ll recall that BurgerBusiness speculated in December that the California Whopper, which Burger King had just added to the menu in its Orlando Whopper Bar, might get a wider menu tryout. We were right; we just didn’t anticipate that the burger would catch a wave to Oslo before Huntington Beach.

McDonald’s, which has been busy lately creating burgers named for New York (and the NYCrispy is expanding across Europe), also has a West Coast tribute burger on the market. In Spain the chain is offering the California Grill, a new burger topped with bacon, lettuce, tomato, onion, Emmental cheese and special sauce on an herbed bun. An accompanying TV commercial from TBWA/España uses DJ Beni Benassi’s version of The Mamas & The Papas’ 1965 classic “California Dreaming” as its aural-flashback background. As if winning the World Cup weren’t enough excitement for one summer.

There’s at least one California-based burger chain that’s not letting all the fun go overseas. Ruby’s Diner’s summer special is the Beach Burger, a melt-style creation on toasted sourdough.

Burger King is extending its “Have it your way” philosophy to music. At the chain’s newest location in Japan, which opened June 29, diners at some tables can plug an iPod (or other mp3 player) into wall-mounted docking stations. A speaker in a plastic jellyfish-like dome overhead directs the music to those at the table below. Called a “music shower” by some observers, the gadget is a bit of a cross between a jukebox and the “Cone of Silence” from the old “Get Smart” TV show.

The technology will roll out to other units in Japan first, but remains a very limited test. With more than 220 million iPods in use globally, however, Burger King has to be looking at expanding availability as it accelerates remodeling of its stores.

In another nod to technology, Burger King in Britain is offering cellphone minutes as a promotional premium. Customers who buy a large Fanta or Sprite drink can get a 50p (about 75¢) credit for pay-as-you-go cellphone use.

When quick-service restaurant chains talk about the weather, it’s usually to claim stormy skies as a reason why sales declined. But a new McDonald’s commercial airing in the United Kingdom brings up the weather as a way to discuss the chain’s reliance on the products of local farmers.

The commercial is the work of Leo Burnett’s London office, which last year produced the folksy, rhyming “Favourites” commercial and the recent World Cup version, also in rhyme, that both close with the line “There’s a McDonald’s for Everyone.” This new commercial—filmed in Derbyshire, Cumbria and Staffordshire--exudes the same warm, paternal tone as it argues that Britain’s weather helps Britain’s farms, which supply Britain’s McDonald’s with organic milk, free-range eggs and potatoes. It closes with the new line “That’s what makes McDonald’s.”

MarketingWeek magazine quotes Jill McDonald, chief marketing officer for the UK and Northern Europe, as saying, “With this commercial we honor two things which are unmistakably British: unpredictable weather and first-rate farming. This is the next chapter in our ongoing campaign to drive awareness of the care and attention that our supply chain puts into producing McDonald’s food.”

The magazine says that McDonald’s will continue to focus on its supply chain and on food quality in advertising as the 2012 London Summer Olympics approach.

A year ago, McDonald’s aired a 45-second TV commercial from DDB Sydney celebrating the chain’s longstanding relationship with Australian beef ranchers as part of its introduction of Angus beef burgers there. That commercial’s theme was “Hand in hand with Australia.” Product-quality campaigns also are in place across Europe.

Ξ Does it signal topping overload or the decline of customization?
           The Counter, the Culver City, Calif.-based upscale burger chain that was among the pioneers of the build-your-own-burger trend, is now offering “Signature Burgers in a Bowl.” Customers have always been able to custom-build a burger and have it served in a bowl (at left) rather than on a bun.
            But now, The Counter menu lists set-ingredient burger builds that can be served in a bowl. These vary by location, but among the new bowl choices are:
           ● The Southwestern with 1/3-lb. beef patty, lettuce blend, Tillamook Cheddar, jalapeños, roasted corn and black-bean salsa, roasted green chiles, green onion and Classic Caesar;
           ● Backyard Barbeque with 1/3-lb. beef patty, lettuce blend, horseradish Cheddar, Black Forest ham, chopped red onion, coleslawe, crispy onion strings, green onion, tomatoes and Country Buttermilk Ranch and Sweet BBQ Sauce.
            The Counter’s expansion of decision-free prepared “signature” burgers echoes what Chipotle has been doing with the menu it has in test. In addition to more value-price items, Chipotle’s test menu has set-ingredient items such as a Classic Burrito with chicken, black beans , rice, roasted chile and corn salsa and sour cream, or a “Carnitavore” burrito bowl with shredded pork, rice, pinto beans, tomatillo-green-chile salsa and cheese.  

Ξ For those straight-laced consumers who considered Burger King’s Kids Meal tie-in with “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” to be an inappropriate choice for preteens I have one question: Will you get your child an Undertaker doll?
            Burger King and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) announced a global partnership that will result in a wrestling-themed Kids Meal promotion at Burger King restaurants in 30 countries this summer. No date for a U.S. promotion was named.
            The promotion launched this week in the UK, Germany, Austria, Italy and Switzerland. Premiums include plush dolls of WWE wrestling stars Triple H, John Cena and The Undertaker (at right), each of which plays the wrestler’s signature entrance music.
            Licensing.biz. quoted Michelle Wilson, EVP-marketing for WWE, as saying, “WWE’s family-friendly product, which is seen in 145 countries, is a great fit with Burger King Kids Meals.”
            If The Undertaker is family friendly, Edward, Jacob and Bella of “Eclipse” don’t seem so bad now, do they?

Ξ If you haven’t seen them, take a quick look here at the eco-friendly Salad Boxes that McDonald’s has introduced in France. These recyclable boxes hold three new salads: Summer Salad (goat cheese, herbs and raisins), Caesar Salad (grilled or crispy chicken, cheese, tomato and croutons) and Farmer Salad (grilled or crispy chicken, cheese, bacon and onion).

Challenge McDonald’s and it will hit back hard. That seems to be what’s happening in Germany, where Big Mac is protecting strong sales and marketplace leadership with a protein parade of inventive menu items. Burger King’s latest monologue  promotes Grilled Chicken Classic and Grilled Chicken Barbecue sandwiches, so McDonald’s has responded with something completely new and different: a shrimp burger. There’s also a new Italian-style burger on the menu.

And as if that weren’t enough, McDonald’s next week (7/5) goes native with the introduction of the Nürnburger, a mini bratwurst sandwich (right). McDonald’s reported a 5.7% comparable-sales increase for Europe in May, with Germany singled out as one of the markets contributing to that strong showing.  The chain is going all out to maintain that strength.

The Shrimp Lemon burger combines a fried shrimp patty with lettuce and garlic-lemon sauce on an herbed wheat bun. Its McDonald’s menu companion is the Big Beef Parmesano, a beef patty topped with pancetta, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, tomato, lettuce and Caesar dressing on a ciabatta roll.

The Nürnburger continues McDonald’s interest in promoting brand names on its menu to showcase its food quality. In this case, the bratwurst comes from Howe, a leading German sausage maker. The Nürnburger name is a play on Nuremberg, a German city and popular sausage style. McDonald’s Nürnburger puts three Nuremberg sausages, grilled onions and mustard on a roll.

Despite the beef-shrimp-bratwurst display in Germany, McDonald’s certainly isn’t backing away from chicken items on its global menu. In Japan, where Burger King has introduced a giant, three-patty Rodeo burger, McDonald’s is responding with three chicken items. Joining the menu are Salt & Lemon Chicken and Aurora Chicken (the latter with bacon) sandwiches and Chicken Tenders. The McDonald’s “Chicken for Love” campaign includes an array of catchy TV commercials.

Big Boy, the iconic American burger concept that looks retro but really just dates to 1936, is recognizing that tastes, times and business models have changed. In mid-July, Big Boy will open @burger, an upscale fast-casual burger concept with beer and wine in Ann Arbor, Mich., with intentions of opening more.

That doesn’t mean the full-service Big Boy restaurant is doomed. In fact, the latest  updated look for the mothership will be unveiled this fall, says Keith Sirois, CEO for Warren, Mich.-based Big Boy Restaurants International LLC (separate from both Burrbank, Calif.-based Bob’s Big Boy and Cincinnati-based Frisch’s Big Boy.) That new look will owe nothing to fast casual in general or @burger in particular. “There’s still a strong market for mothers with kids or seniors who want a place to sit and be served. Big Boy provides that,” Sirois says.

He added that the impetus for the company to consider something like @burger, which was first reported on AnnArbor.com, was because “5,000- to 8,000-square-foot restaurants [like traditional Big Boys] just aren’t practical any more.”

There’s also “whitespace” in the fast-casual burger market that @burger can fill, he says. “There are a lot of fast-casual hamburger restaurants coming up, but many of them are throwbacks to ‘50s diners in style. We’ll be nicer.”

Sirois says @burger will differ from those concepts and differ from Big Boy. Nothing in the new restaurant will signal its connection to Big Boy. It will be a “high-quality, comfortable environment where adults can eat and socialize.” Sirois joined Big Boy as CEO in January 2009 after retiring as CEO of quick-service drive-thru chain Checkers/Rally’s. “I know something about burgers; they’re important to me,” he says. “We looked at all the fast-casual concepts that are doing well, from Panera Bread to Pei Wei [Asian Diner] and I guess you can say @burger will be a bit of a mashup of all those.”

@burger will use open-flame grills for a menu that includes signature burgers and chicken plus salads, fries and more. More than 200 different burger builds have been created and will cycle on and off the menu, Sirois says. In addition to the always-popular bacon-and-Cheddar burger, @burger will feature such choices as a BBQ Bacon Velveeta Burger, Caprese Burger (tomatoes and mozzarella), Trashcan Burger (“With just about anything you can think of thrown on there,” says Sirois) and more. Standard burger size will be 7 ounces, with an option of a 4-ounce patty for smaller appetites and kids.

The Ann Arbor location was chosen because of its proximity to the Warren headquarters (“So we can watch and touch and adjust.”) and the town’s upscale demographics, Sirois says. Additionally, the downtown storefront location is close to the University of Michigan’s 40,000-student campus.

 If the recession really has bottomed out, as some analysts would like us all to believe, and consumers are sliding back toward their old spending habits, why are burger chains still discounting like this?

Jack in the Box yesterday rolled out its Really Big Chicken Sandwich Combo. For $3.99—still below the times-are-tough $4 price ceiling—customers get a double decker chicken sandwich with bacon, cheese, lettuce and tomato plus seasoned curly fries and a soft drink. It’s a deal.

But wait. For that $4, Checkers/Rally’s offers not 1 but 2 of its new Bacon Champ Burgers. Choose from Pepper Bacon, Maple Bacon or spicy Firecracker Bacon burgers. Check the commercial here.

And Sonic’s willing to go still lower. Just as we reported last month, Sonic has added a new Foot-Long, Quarter-Pound Coney hot dog for $2.99. It’s part of the chain’s “focus on what we have that the other guys don’t” marketing strategy, as is clear from the TV commercial (at right).

The marketplace is going to improve eventually, but the problem now seems to be a lack of confidence by operators, not consumers.

I won’t quibble with any of Bon Appétit’s choices for its “Top 10 Best New Burger Spots.” All 10 look great, and DMK Burger Bar is heavenly. But eight of the 10 opened in 2009. This week we are halfway through 2010, so how can Umami Burger, which opened in February 2009, still be considered “new”?  Yes, Minetta Tavern’s great and all, but it opened a year ago March. Atlanta’s Flip Burger Boutique has already opened a second location in Birmingham, Ala. Little Bigs has three locations. The list is time warped.

Bon Appétit got The Grind in Phoenix and Foster Burger in Portland, Ore., right. They opened this year. They’re new. Here are 10 other 2010-vintage operations worth knowing that show where the burger business is headed.

Roam Artisan Burgers, San Francisco
This is the future. Grass-fed beef burgers; house-made veggie patties and pickles. They make their own soft drinks, sweetened with agave nectar instead of high-fructose corn syrup. Shakes are made with locally sourced organic ice cream and organic nonfat yogurt.
Read a review

M Burger, Chicago
Rich Melman opened R.J. Grunt’s, one of the first upscale burger joints, in the early ‘70s. Now his Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises operates more than 40 restaurant concepts from fine-dining Everest to the Big Bowl fast-casual Asian chain. His latest is M Burger, carved out of chef’s dining room at his ultra-high-end Tru. The menu’s limited; the quality’s high.
Read a review

500°, Philadelphia
Another post-Five Guys simple-menu concept. Hamburger, Cheeseburger, Classic (with Bibb lettuce and tomato) and The 500 (with Cheddar, bacon and signature house sauce). Not fancy; just good.
Read a review

Yeah! Burger, Atlanta
Chef Shaun Doty’s create-your-own burger concept has the good taste to know that means choosing a bun, too. I like the sauce choices because God only knows what Hot Alabama Relish, Rooster Sauce and Bacon Jam might be. But, Yeah!, I’m putting all of them on my burger.
Read a review

Burger Kitchen, Los Angeles
With its Pat LaFrieda beef, Burger Kitchen is a West Coast answer to Minetta Tavern to some burger fanciers. The “Siberia With Love” burger is topped with caviar and priced at $75, which sounds excessive, but hey, Australian-born owner Alan Saffron and son Daniel have a $10 Australian Meat Pie on the menu, too.
Reviews: A Hamburger Today’s Damon Gambuto was underwhelmed; Jay Weston was crazy, nutty happy.

Bill St. Bar & Grill, Little Rock, Ark.
When former President Bill Clinton isn’t hangin’ with Mick Jagger at the World Cup and he’s back in Little Rock selling T-shirts at the Clinton Library Store, you know he has lunch at this new burger joint next door. Bill does the Peanut Butter Bacon Burger, no doubt.
Read A Hamburger Today’s review

BRGR Kitchen + Bar, Prairie Village, Kan.
Alan Gaylin has worked in management for Houlihan’s and T.G.I. Friday’s. Now he and his partners have opened this classy burger joint outside Kansas City, Mo., with some serious burgers. The Tex-Az is topped queso, pickled jalapeños and blue corn chips on a corn bun; the Pittsburger is topped with American cheese, hot fries and cold slaw on a kaiser bun.
Read an interview with Alan Gaylin

J. Wellington’s, Chicago
Named of course for famed burger lover J. Wellington Wimpy, this Chicago joint goes both ways. Build your own or order from the “Fancy Schmancy” specialty burgers. These include the “Trippin’ Swede” with sautéed mushrooms, Swiss cheese and chipotle-chili-pepper ketchup, and the “One Eyed Runt” with applewood-smoked bacon, fried egg, blue cheese and spicy mayo.
Read a review

Burger Up, Nashville
From the good folks who brought us the Frothy Monkey comes another burger joint that takes local sourcing and high quality seriously. Local supplier Triple L Ranch provides the grass-fed beef, but there’s locally produced lamb, chicken and more.
Read a review

Burger Spot, Dallas
It may not look like much outside, but this unassuming little place has 14 burgers made with all-natural Harris Ranch Angus. Choices include the Alamo Burger with refried beans, Fritos, Cheddar, onions and salsa on top, and a Blue Cheese Bacon Burger with all that on a third-pound patty.
Read a review

McDonald’s continues to explore what it can turn into a tortilla wrap, and it keeps ratcheting up the quality. First it tried stepping up from wrapping a regular burger patty in its Big Mac Snack Wrap to the bigger, better Angus Snack Wrap that goes national Aug. 10. Now McDonald’s is trying a similar upgrade with chicken.

In Ireland this week, McDonald’s introduced Wraps (yes, sadly, that’s the boring name), a range of four full-size wraps, two of which use the chain’s Chicken Selects tenders as the protein. This is a departure for the chain, which previously has used chopped Chicken McNuggets in snack items such as the mini Snack Wrap Giardino it’s offering now in Switzerland. Using the higher-quality selects for these full-size McWrap sandwiches hints at where McDonald’s may go soon in the U.S.

The four Wraps, each in a soft tortilla,  are:
● Sweet Crispy Chicken Chili Wrap with two Chicken Selects, shredded lettuce, cucumber slices, mayo and the sweet chili sauce used here as a McNuggets dipping sauce during a Winter Olympics promotion;

● Crispy Chicken & Bacon Wrap with two Chicken Selects, smoked bacon, shredded lettuce, a tomato slice, a sweet-tangy sauce and mayo; 

● Salsa & Mayo Grilled Chicken Wrap with grilled chicken (not Selects), arugula, shredded lettuce, tomato slices, grated Cheddar, mayo and salsa;

● Spicy Veggie Wrap with chopped spicy veggie burger, sweet chili sauce, cucumber slices, shredded lettuce and mayo. What’s interesting here is that McDonald’s has no veggie-burger alternative on its regular menu. It’s unclear where this nonmeat patty comes from.

A TV commercial (at right) backing the Wraps launch shows people doing a variety of tasks—playing the piano, solving a Rubik’s Cube, typing, golfing, etc.—one-handed while eating a wrap.

“The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” opens June 30, bringing a potential ray of sales sunshine for promotional partner Burger King. With same-store sales down 6.1% in U.S. and Canada stores during the last fiscal quarter, the burger chain could use a boost and these films have shown they can deliver one. And the chain is taking better advantage of its ties to this third installment in the teen-fave movie series. This time, BK has crafted a multi-faceted promotion with appeal to multiple demographics. 

For the second film in the trilogy, “The Twilight Saga: New Moon,” which opened last November, Burger King’s tie-in effort was fairly bland. Teens who purchased a Six-Pack BK Burger Shots Value Meal received a “fan pack” that was little more than a collection of coupons plus some collectible cards. BK Crown Card gift cards and Burger King cardboard crowns also were available.

The “Eclipse” promotion has many more layers and more-appealing premiums. There’s a scratch-card game, this time, for example. Buy any BK Value Meal and you get a game piece; upsize that meal and you get two pieces, each with an image of a character from the film. Prizes include $100,000, a Volvo XC60 (for Mom and Dad), a Vespa LX50 4V (for older teens), movie tickets, BK food and more. Save the pieces in a collector’s album for a second chance at prizes that include a private screening of “Eclipse” and movie-set tour. Teens also can visit a microsite where their Facebook pages can be analyzed as to which character—Jacob, Bella or Edward—they’re likely to support. Another new wrinkle is the offer of “Eclipse”-themed aluminum water bottles, offered at another microsite.

For pre-teen “Twilight” fans, Burger King offers eight different BK Kids Meal premiums, including a charm bracelet, hologram ring and more. And, of course, the BK crowns with movie-character photos are back.

TV commercials (above) from Crispin, Porter + Bosgusky include spots where teens recruit Burger King customers to join Team Edward, Team Jacob or Team Bella and explain their reasoning.