Direct Connect
the CEO of a global fast-food giant is literally using his mobile number as a direct, interactive lifeline to crowdsource the company's future.
“A brand is no longer what you say it is. It’s what they say it is!” - Futurist Jim Carroll
So he put his phone number out there.
Tom Curtis is the President of Burger King, and released this post last week.
It caught my attention because I had just recently shared a clip from my 2009 keynote about the future of social networking and the massive shift coming for brands, from the time I spoke at Burger King’s global franchise conference. It made me wonder - just how accurate were my early predictions in the context of what he is doing?
It’s a pretty wild move - the storyline goes that he publicly shared his personal cell phone number, inviting guests to text or call with honest, unfiltered feedback. Their stated goal? To transform Burger King from a brand “for the people“ into a brand “by the people.“ Just like I predicted.
Over the past few years, listening to our Guests has been the inspiration behind how we operate and innovate at Burger King. We’ve made meaningful changes across the business thanks to our Guests and that intense commitment to listening.
There are a variety of ways that we listen – through targeted Guest research, restaurant visits, monitoring social channels – but my favourite way to hear from Guests has always been through the conversations that come about as we travel the country proudly wearing our BK swag. Now, we want to extend these conversations even further, and I personally want to have the opportunity to hear as much direct feedback as possible.
So, starting today I’m trying something just a bit on the wild side: I’m sharing my phone number, (305) 874 0520, so Guests have a direct way to call or text me with honest, unfiltered feedback on their Burger King experience or ideas.
This was absolute music to my ears, because back in 2009, I was on stage for the organization in Las Vegas - with Leonard Nimoy on stage no less - and told this exact story (on the bridge of the Enterprise, which they built for Spock!)
Seeing this unfold in 2025 is absolute validation of what I warned organizations about sixteen years ago!
In this clip, I boldly declared that interactivity had to become the new brand foundation. I pointed to the early days of mobile devices, predicting that cell phones would become the ultimate infrastructure for how brands reach out to and transact with consumers.
Now, the CEO of a global fast-food giant is literally using his mobile number as a direct, interactive lifeline to crowdsource the company’s future.
But more importantly, this move perfectly illustrates the most critical warning from my 2009 keynote: the balance of power has permanently shifted. I told audiences back then that the undisputed golden rule of modern business is that a brand isn’t what you say it is anymore; it’s what they say it is.
Burger King’s leadership clearly understands this reality. By opening up a direct line for real conversations and openly acknowledging that the brand must be shaped by the guests, they are actively working to keep their brand fresh.
They are doing exactly what I advised: ensuring that the organic, unfiltered conversation aligns with what they hope their brand represents.
The social brand revolution I predicted in 2009 isn’t just a reality today; it is the only way companies can survive.
The future is fully here - so what are you doing to invite your customers to build your brand?
Futurist Jim Carroll was supposed to meet Leonard Nimoy backstage in the green room before the event, but his plane was late!