Carl's Jr., Hardee's Have Own Freakouts

By Eric Newman

Snarky restaurant critics have said for years that restaurateurs can put waffles on a massive white plate, flanked by decorative glazes and a dab of sauce, and fetch $29. Now, a new TV campaign by CKE Restaurants for its for Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr. chains seeks to underscore that point, or at least prove that the chains’ burgers are as good as an expensive restaurant’s.

New TV spots from Medelsohn/Zien, Los Angeles, use a hidden camera at a fake high-end eatery, dubbed "Grade A Restaurant," where white coated chefs serve Hardee's Prime Rib Thickburgers and Carl's Jr. Six Dollar Burgers to unsuspecting consumers.

The dupes get wise when they notice Hardee's bags, called out by the emblazoned yellow star logo, being hauled in and out of the kitchen. In the big reveal, they're informed that they've been eating the fast feeder's fare all along. In one spot, a woman extols the “gross” qualities of Hardee's previous advertisements, only to realize in the end that she's part of a spot for the very same restaurant whose creative she finds, well, unappetizing.

"In numerous reader polls and 'Best Burger' competitions around the country, Carl's Jr. and Hardee's [burgers] have often been rated as high, or higher, than those served at high-end sit-down restaurants," said Brad Haley, evp-marketing at CKE, Carpinteria, Calif. "To help prove that point, we created a fake, fancy restaurant to see if real people would happily pay the exorbitant prices on the menu [$14-20] for our burgers, and they did."

While the closing shot—in which the components of the Prime Rib Thickburger fall, one on top of the other, until the sandwich slams into completion—isn't likely to fool fans of, say, Daniel Boulud's $32 signature burger, which features foie gras and short ribs, among other haute materials, it's geared at igniting the passions of “young, hungry guys,” according to the company.

The effort comes after another chain seeking the same audience, Burger King, produced a somewhat similar campaign featuring a hidden-camera for its “Whopper Freakout” ads. That effort, via Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Miami, shows unsuspecting customers being told the chain has discontinued the sandwich.