A Q&A with Preston Nix, Director, Loyalty & CRM

Million Dollar Whopper: Q&A with Preston Nix, Director of Loyalty and CRM at Burger King North America

Hot off the launch of the Million Dollar Whopper Contest in Feb. 2024, it is exciting to spotlight some of the people who brought this incredible campaign to life! Meet Preston Nix, the Director of Loyalty and CRM for Burger King North America. Responsible for the Burger King Royal Perks program, Preston and his team were an integral part of the Million Dollar Whopper campaign, and we sat down with him to ask some questions.  

Q: What is the Million Dollar Whopper Contest?

A: The name of the contest does a pretty good job explaining what it is – essentially, we asked America what toppings they would put on their Whopper for the chance to win $1M. After the submission period ends, we will select three semifinalists and feature their Whopper creations in restaurants nationwide. Then, it will be up to America to try them and vote to tell us which one was their favorite, with the winner taking home the $1M prize.  

Personally, this contest feels like a heritage story for our brand. We’ve spent quite a bit of time over the last year talking about the Whopper and getting America excited about our flame grilling. Ultimately, this campaign is an opportunity for us to continue having the Whopper top of mind for our Guests.

Q: What was the role of your team in the creation of this campaign?

A: My team had the unique opportunity of sitting at the intersection of engineering and marketing. We served as the quarterback of this campaign; spending time focusing on the overall experience, the AI generation and ensuring Guests’ experience would be seamless and engaging. Along with our agency partners and internal teams, we worked to communicate this campaign in the most authentic and meaningful way to our Guests.  

Q: Where does your passion for AI come from?

A: I was lucky enough to join the Burger King digital team in 2017. At that time, we were relaunching our mobile app and we saw the meaningful opportunity that digital and specifically loyalty had. We saw an opportunity to create a one-to-one relationship with each Guest- and a way of transforming how we will engage with our Guests. Six years later, I am confident that these technologies will continue to change the way that we engage and push this amazing brand forward. The team and I are passionate about AI because it allows us to communicate and create in a special way for our Guests.  

Q: What are you looking forward to most about this campaign?

A: Over my career I've had the opportunity to work with some incredible folks. My team has shown me that if you put trust in people and give them the space to innovate, they will deliver. We have been able to provide some incredible experiences for our Guests over the years, but the Million Dollar Whopper Contest is special and I cannot wait to see our Guest’s creations and creativity, and the data come through along the way.

Q: What has been your favorite part of working on the Million Dollar Whopper campaign?

A: Overall, the entire campaign has been an absolute pleasure to spend time on, especially thinking about how we want to bring it to life for our Guests. My favorite part of the work would be around the AI generation of the Whopper images. AI is such a new, emerging, and innovative technology that being able to really get into the weeds and spend a lot of time working with it has been an interesting and learning experience for my entire team.

Q: What would be your Million Dollar Whopper?

A: Goat cheese, bacon, onion jam, roasted garlic aioli, and bacon.

You Rule, Preston!

‍

*NO PURCH NEC. 50 U. S./D.C. 18+ (19+ AL/NE). BK account req’d. Enter by 3/17/24. See Contest Rules for entry & judging details.**Whopper with $1+ purchase available at participating U.S. restaurants and redeemable in the BK® App with submission of first contest entry. Terms apply. See bk.com/terms