14286: Gruesome Threesomes.

From hotels to hamburgers, it seems like White advertising agencies enjoy group-sex jokes. White Castle joined the orgy with its latest campaign for Threesomes menu items. Looking forward to a three-way promotion between White Castle, Carl’s Jr. and Wendy’s.

14032: Calling Out Carl’s Jr.

Carl’s Jr. recently hired a new White advertising agency, and the new campaign is nauseating on a number of levels. Yes, the over-the-topless sexism prevalent in past work was always inappropriate—and intolerable in today’s society, where inclusive sensitivity especially relating to females is a growing movement. But like other brands undergoing reform (e.g., Axe), the reactive results are generic and contrived, which flies in the face of basic branding objectives for uniqueness and breakthrough. “The Call of Carl’s” feels culturally clueless too, featuring a bug-eyed Black character and urban-vibe voiceover copy. The burger chain has replaced soft porn with food porn—and shifted from White male to White stale.

11055: Fast Food Fat Cat Speaks Out.

From The Huffington Post…

Healthy Food ‘Not Our Personality,’ Says Fast Food CEO

The Huffington Post

Fast food can have a lot of calories and one CEO isn’t afraid to keep in that way.

Andy Puzder, the CEO of CKE Restaurants which owns Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s, told The Los Angeles Times that he isn’t interested in making his menus healthier. Selling 20 times more bacon cheeseburgers with 740 calories than barbecue chicken sandwiches with 390 calories, Puzder plans to continue to provide the foods that his customers want most.

“It’s not our personality and it won’t become our personality,” Puzder told The Los Angeles Times when asked about the healthy food craze. “All of our products are indulgent, decadent.”

Despite the obesity problem plaguing the entire country, Puzder has remained firm that it is not the fast food industry’s place to tell people what they can and cannot eat.

“We’re not the food police,” he said in an interview with the New Zealand Herald.

The CEO’s stance runs contrary to the direction that a majority of the fast food industry seems to be taking. In July, McDonald’s released its “Favorites Under 400 Calories” menu and more recently the fast food chain came out with a yolk-free version of its Egg McMuffin with 50 fewer calories than the original.

Burger King has also attempted to spruce up its menu with items it claims are more healthy like salads and smoothies.

Despite these efforts, customers should remain wary. A 2012 study found that while fast food menu items have grown to include items like yogurt parfaits and salads, the average number of calories in each item hasn’t decreased significantly.

9575: Burger Buddies Spark Account Moves…?

Advertising Age reported Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s creative duties were shifted from David & Goliath to 72andSunny without a formal review. The transition sans pitch was likely rooted in creatives from Mendelsohn Zien—who handled the accounts before David & Goliath—taking jobs with 72andSunny. In the advertising industry, cronyism and AOR status make familiar bedfellows.

Carl’s Jr., Hardee’s Hand Creative to 72andSunny Without a Review

Fast Feeder Parts Ways With David & Goliath After Less Than A Year

By Maureen Morrison

Less than a year after hiring indie shop David & Goliath to handle creative work for Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s, parent company CKE Restaurants has moved the account to 72andSunny, without a review.

MDC Partners-owned 72andSunny had been on the roster, handling digital duties. The sudden change comes as the fast-food marketer has expressed dissatisfaction with the creative product.

Said Brad Haley, chief marketing officer at CKE Restaurants, in a statement: “We would like to thank David & Goliath for their hard work and dedication over the past year. They are a great group of people, but we became concerned about the recent direction of the advertising and determined that we needed to make a change.”

Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s media agency, Interpublic’s Initiative, and its PR agency, Weber Shandwick, were not affected by the creative move.

“We had an amazing run with CKE and helped them achieve their second-most-successful burger launch in the last decade, with the Turkey Burger,” said David Angelo, founder-chief creative officer at David & Goliath, in a statement. “The Turkey Burger launch reversed Carl’s Jr.’s declining sales and substantially increased the positive momentum of Hardee’s sales. We wish them well and will continue to pursue brands that embrace our Brave philosophy. We certainly have an appetite for fast food.”

Before D&G, CKE worked with Hakuhodo-owned Mendelsohn Zien for 16 years. It put the creative account into review in October 2010, and the incumbent participated in the review with David & Goliath and 72andSunny.

According to people familiar with the matter, that pitch was sparked by the departure of two top creatives on the account, Mick DiMaria and Justin Hooper, who left Mendelsohn Zien for 72andSunny. The review wrapped up in January.

While at Mendelsohn Zien, Messrs. DiMaria and Hooper were behind the Kim Kardashian and Padma Lakshmi ads, spots that exemplified Carl’s Jr.’s sexed-up image. D&G’s first ad, launched in March, featured a bikini-clad Miss Turkey touting the chains’ turkey burger. People familiar with the matter said that the work by D&G was viewed as “more generic” than the work done by Mendelsohn Zien. It now remains to be seen if CKE will return to the sexy ads.

CKE in September posted its second-fiscal-quarter results, which showed Carl’s Jr. up 2% and Hardee’s up 2.5%. Year-to-date, Carl’s Jr. was up 2%, Hardee’s was up 6.4% and combined sales were up 4.1%. CKE in 2010 was bought out by private-equity firm Apollo Management in an estimated $1 billion deal.

The combined budgets for both restaurant chains in 2010 was $63.6 million in domestic measured media, according to Kantar, up from $50.3 million in 2009. For the first eight months of 2011, U.S. measured media spend was $39.5 million, according to Kantar. The Carpinteria, Calif.-based chain, which has more than 3,100 restaurants in 42 states and 18 countries, also owns smaller restaurant brands such as Red Burrito and Green Burrito.

8987: Playing Chicken.

Chicken Rings? There are Chicken McNuggets, Chicken Fries, Chicken Stars, Double Down sandwiches and more. Does anyone sell chicken that’s, well, chicken?

8067: Carl’s Jr. & Hardee’s Seek New White Shop.

Advertising Age reported the creative duties for Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s are up for review. The “invitation-only” competition features three White agencies—and one of the contenders is the advertiser’s current digital shop. Nice. Now the places that handle interactive work have a better shot at landing accounts than minority shops.

Creative for Carl’s Jr., Hardee’s in Play
Three Shops Expected to Pitch $60 Million Restaurant Accounts

By Maureen Morrison and Rupal Parekh

NEW YORK -- CKE Restaurants is reviewing creative duties on both the Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s brands, currently handled by Los Angeles-based Mendelsohn Zien. The marketer is handling the pitch process itself, and only three shops are participating, including the incumbent.

“We have had a long and successful relationship with Mendelsohn Zien for the past 16 years at Carl’s Jr. and nine years at Hardee’s, but various changes at the agency, and in the creative ranks there, have led us to conduct a limited agency review,” said Beth Mansfield, director of public relations at CKE. “[The agency] will be defending the business. The invitation-only review will include broadcast creative for both the Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s brands. And we hope to complete the review by the first of the year.”

In addition to Mendelsohn Zien, which is owned by Hakuhodo DY Media Holdings, CKE invited three other shops to pitch, people familiar with the matter say. They are West Coast independents 72andSunny, which is lead digital agency for CKE, and David & Goliath, as well as Interpublic Group of Cos.’ Deutsch, Los Angeles.

Deutsch, however, has declined to participate. “Carl’s and Hardee’s are great brands, but we elected not to participate to focus on opportunities with our existing clients,” said Mike Sheldon, CEO of Los Angeles. Other shops could not be immediately reached or declined to comment. The creative review does not affect media or public-relations duties, handled by Interpublic-owned agencies Initiative and Weber Shandwick, respectively.

According to people familiar with the matter, the review was sparked by the departure last month of two top creatives on the account from Mendelsohn Zien. It also follows the private-equity buyout of CKE to Apollo Management in an estimated $1 billion deal.

CKE last month posted its fiscal-second-quarter results, which were down over the prior-year period. It had revenue of $313.9 million, a decrease of $22.1 million, or 6.6%.

The combined budgets for both restaurant chains in 2009 was $58 million in domestic measured media, according to Kantar. Spending in 2010 seems to track the same; the marketer spent about $30 million for the first six months of the year, with a bit more devoted to Carl’s Jr. than the Hardee’s brand. The Carpinteria, Calif.-based chain, which has more than 3,100 restaurants in 42 states and 18 countries, also owns smaller restaurant brands such as Red Burrito and Green Burrito.

Carl’s Jr. in recent years has sexed up its image, recruiting foodie and TV personality Padma Lakshmi to seductively eat a burger for one of its ads, and vixen Kim Kardashian to star in another to eat a cranberry apple walnut chicken salad. The latter spot hit our viral video chart earlier this year.

For Mendelsohn Zien, the potential loss of two major restaurant brands comes as a blow. As it stands now, the contract period for Hardee’s ends in late December, and the Carl’s Jr. contract ends early next year.

7785: Chewing On The News.

Checking out the menu in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• Carl’s Jr. is introducing a foot-long burger. Given the fast feeder’s penchant for risqué commercials involving hotties deep-throating burgers, one can only imagine how the new sandwich will be advertised.

• Canada rejected a PETA anti-meat ad featuring Pamela Anderson, charging the image was too sexist. Carl’s Jr. will probably counter by hiring Anderson as a spokeswoman.

• Baskin-Robbins is dumping 5 flavors from its iconic ice cream menu. Replacement choices likely include hamburger.

7238: A Carl’s Jr. Offer You Can’t Refuse.

Carl’s Jr. set aside its typically sexist advertising for stereotypical depictions offensive to Italian Americans. Note the response from the corporate director of public relations—it’s pretty clear that Carl’s Jr. does not see a problem with perpetuating ethnic stereotypes in an effort to amuse “young, hungry guys.” The campaign was touting the chain’s Chicken Parmesan Sandwich; hence, the need to push mafia imagery. Good thing they weren’t promoting fried chicken or Asian chicken flavors.

Fuggedaboudit: Carl’s Jr. Stops Mob Ad Campaign

by Jennifer Lawinski

Fast-food chain Carl’s Jr. has stopped the ad campaign for its Chicken Parmesan Sandwich after Italian-American groups complained about the mafia-themed commercials.

The California Italian-American Task Force and the National Italian-American Federation praised Carl’s Jr.’s parent company CKE for its decision not to buy more TV slots for the ads, which feature mobster and garbage man characters that critics said showed negative Italian-American stereotypes, Nation’s Restaurant News reports.

In the ad, a man sits in his car eating the Carl’s Jr. Chicken Parmesan Sandwich as marinara sauce drips out of his mouth and down his shirt. When two mafia goons approach the car, the man plays dead. Fooled by the sauce dotting his shirt like blood, they leave him alive assuming someone else killed him before they arrived.

“NIAF was pleased to see the positive steps taken by Carl’s Jr. Restaurant to remove negative, inaccurate and unfair characterizations in their recent commercial advertisements,” Jeff Capaccio, the group’s regional vice president for the Far West, told the paper. “These advertisements only fuel further incorrect assumptions about an entire ethnic group.”

Controversy is nothing new for Carl’s Jr. Earlier this year, the company launched a racy ad featuring Padma Lakshmi inhaling a Western Bacon Thickburger.

Beth Mansfield, director of public relations for CKE told Slashfood that the company, which is also the parent company of Hardee’s, “adopts a creative approach” to its advertising. “It is intended to communicate the core message of our premium-quality food to our target audience of ‘young, hungry guys.’ We do not aim to exclude or offend any other groups with our efforts, but merely to appeal to and amuse a very specific audience. We understand that not everyone may view our advertising the same way, so we respect all views and welcome comments and feedback.”

The company decided not to extend the media run for the Parmesan Chicken Sandwich, but the campaign formally ended on Nov. 8, although the commercials may still make appearances “infrequently in limited markets,” Mansfield said.

But it’s still offering $1 off coupons on its Web site.

After the Chicken Parmesan campaign, Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s will be taking another stab at McDonalds, Mansfield told Slashfood.

Its next ad campaign for Carl’s Jr.’s Big Carl burger and Hardee’s Big Hardee burger will target the McDonald’s Big Mac in “round three of the Premium Burger Wars,” which Mansfield said the company calls “McSmack.”

“The direct comparison worked so well and we got such a great response from them, that’s what we’re looking at doing again,” she told Slashfood. “We just keep kicking the shins of that 800 pound gorilla.”