A B2+ to C2 lesson based on two news articles and a video. Students read about MacDonald’s loss of their Big Mac trademark in Europe and how Burger King publicly teased them through advertising in Sweden, and other ways.
Students work through vocabulary tasks, discuss the topics, do a fun guessing game of nicknames for MacDonald’s around the world. They end with creating with their own humorous ad campaign.
| Level | Upper Intermediate (B2+), Advanced (C1, C2) |
| Length | 60 to 90 minutes |
| Features | Reading: articles x2; Listening: video x1; Tasks: discussion, vocabulary, creating humorous ad copy Language: business, legal language from the articles. Creative, fun language from the articles and video. Words connected to parody. |
| Materials | PDF of student handout with teaching notes on last page. Download Note: articles and videos are copyright of the creators and can be accessed separately using the links below. |
| Links | Article 1 theguardian.com/business/2019/jan/15/mcdonalds-loses-big-mac-trademark-legal-battle-supermacs Article 2 theguardian.com/business/2019/jan/31/like-a-big-mac-but-juicier-burger-king-renames-sandwiches-to-troll-mcdonalds Video mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/burger-king-trolls-mcdonalds-advert-13934836 |