<p>These two fast food companies have fought indirectly for decades. They used product development, such as the same breakfast sandwich, to fight the war.</p>
<p>In 2009, Burger King confronted McDonald's with more comparative marketing. Burger King put the Whopper and the Big Mac to a taste test. But it turned out to be a failure because the public saw the ads as exploitative and racist.</p>


Burger King and McDonald

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<p><figure> <div><img src="https://i.insider.com/4dee45bbccd1d5bc4d020000?width=600&amp;format=jpeg&amp;auto=webp"></div>
</figure>Marketers don't always play nice, especially when they're trying to take on one of their closest rivals.</p>
<p>Often the most brutal battles come in the form of comparative advertising -- the direct comparison of one company's product to another. Once the line is drawn, it's up to the opposition to either fire back or ignore its competitor.</p>
<p>Some companies have been duking it out for decades, like Coke and Pepsi. Others took decades to respond: Apple ran its first anti-PC advertisement in 1984, and Microsoft didn't fight back until recently -- it let hardware makers like Dell and HP do the fighting.</p>
<p>We've compiled some of the most intense marketing wars ever waged between two companies.</p>
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Marketers don't always play nice, especially when they're trying to take on one of their closest rivals. Often the most brutal battles come in the form of comparative advertising -- the direct comparison of one company's product to another. Once the line is drawn, it's up to the opposition to either fire back or ignore its competitor.

The 12 Most Intense Marketing Wars Ever

Burger King and McDonald

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