Burger brand draws flak after offering discount to celebrate IAF air strike in Pakistan

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The burger brand put out an edited clip from Pulp Fiction on their social media pages with the message, and also had it on their website.

However, on social media, while some thought it was a good move, many slammed the company and said the promotion was in “poor taste”. On Twitter and Facebook, many criticised the company for crossing a line.

If the news of the IAF air strikes from this morning weren’t enough to make anyone’s day, here is a screenshot of Burger Singh being absolutely savage about it. #BadlaPulwamaKa pic.twitter.com/A6Bl1NytsQ

— Aishwarya Singh (@aaayrawhsia) February 26, 2019

You have earned a customer today :))))) https://t.co/aoZNQhhbdk

— Captain Marvel (@masterstuff2) February 26, 2019

A thin line in marketing you should never cross.There is a difference between being quirky and being insensitive about an issue that concerns 1.2B people. You should be #Sorry for not being #SoSorry @BurgerSinghs. Never ordering from you guys in this life.

— Swagata Sarangi (@SwagataSarangi) February 26, 2019

So irresponsible and insensitive on your part to make light of national issues as a marketing gimmick to sell more burgers. In very poor taste (literally too, I hear) #boycottburgersingh

— Niki Seth (@NikiSeth2) February 26, 2019

Such tasteless & insensitive advertisingby #BurgerSingh pic.twitter.com/zT95UQQSR4

— Phoenix (@EsotericPhoenix) February 26, 2019

Capitalism is rational opportunism. fair on Burger Singh to offer discounts for the #IAFStrikes to do this. Folks are free to decide this is in bad taste and not buy their stuff.

— Mandar Kagade (@MandarKagade) February 26, 2019

@ZomatoIN @Zomato @zomatocare how do you support @BurgerSinghs and put them on your platform with such xenophobic, hate promoting brands? Shame on you burger Singh. Your social media team should be fired. @Kabirjeet using loss of lives to sell burgers? #Zomato #burgersingh pic.twitter.com/kmJ2RNtnD4

— pulak bhatnagar (@pulakbhatnagar) February 26, 2019

Is it coz they are rejoicing it.. Or coz they want to make money out of emotions?#BurgerSingh #Branding #marketing #IndiaStrikesBack pic.twitter.com/K0IyvczuKS

— Weakest LINK (@rachitsharma0) February 26, 2019

Disgusting and highly insensitive. Hope your order count hits rock-bottom just because if this marketing policy. https://t.co/UNUycN1TMn

— Abhimanyu Sen (@abhimanyusen) February 26, 2019

War isn’t just another twitter trend. @BurgerSinghs #BeSorry #Boycott #ColonizingInsensitivity #DontGlorifyViolence #WarProfiteering https://t.co/sN1HVNdaWU

— Varnika Kundu (@varnikakundu) February 26, 2019

Your marketing team is as insensitive as your brand value.https://t.co/tAYHKb7pph

— Shuvro Ghoshal (@shuvro_ghoshal) February 26, 2019

When contacted, the burger brand said in a statement, “We understand that this an emotionally charged subject and so we think it’s appropriate for us to respond. We also understand that it is practically impossible to say something and have everyone agree with you.”

“Having said that, we are not the aggressors in this unfortunate scenario at our borders and India as a nation is morally obliged to take care of its people. The Indian armed forces are fulfilling that obligation. We support our troops and will continue to celebrate India’s non-military preemptive action against terror and it’ll be hard to convince us otherwise,” the statement said.

This is not the first time the burger brand has come up with such an offer. In 2016, after surgical strikes, they launched a similar scheme offering a 20 per cent discount. The discount was increased to 30 per cent, with the company claiming it had received a huge response. But the company later withdrew the offer following backlash.

The air strike in Pakistan comes after 40 CRPF personnel were killed when a Jaish-e-Mohammed suicide bomber rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into a bus transporting them in Jammu Kashmir’s Pulwama district.