Snelgrove quits Burger King top job

Keith Snelgrove, Burger King marketing director for Europe, Middle East and Africa, has quit after 12 years.

Snelgrove, who is understood to have returned to the US, is a former worldwide director of brand strategy at BK, which he joined from Campbell-Mithun Advertising in Minneapolis.

He spearheaded BK’s marketing drive against rival McDonald’s this summer. This saw a hard-hitting ad campaign through D’Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles claiming that BK burgers were bigger than McDonald’s. DMB&B won the 23m pan-Euro account in February.

In May, Snelgrove drafted in Samantha Smith from McDonald’s as head of UK marketing.

The fast-food company says Snelgrove will shortly be replaced but will not reveal why he has left nor whether he has another job.

His departure comes as BK turns more attention to its European sales. Over 80 per cent of its business is in the US, but the Grand Metropolitan-owned chain wants to expand its European operations. It recently appointed Craig Bushey as vice president operations Europe and Colt Hothorn as vice president general manager of development.