Call me crazy, but I don’t think sex is a good way to sell hamburgers. (Visualize Hardee’s here.)
I’m not going to editorialize much further on this here. After all, Hardee’s has been at this for several years.
The reason I bring it up now is because I learned this past week that the parent company of Hardee’s, CKE Restaurants, has just changed advertising agencies. Could this mean the end of sexy women going at it with juicy hamburgers? I certainly hope so. In my opinion, Hardee’s needs a new, consistent image. I close my eyes and think of Hardee’s, and my brain takes me to the smiley face star logo and the raunchy commercials. How can those two images occupy the same thought?
Ads should carry forward the careful image the restaurant wants customers to land on in their minds. To illustrate, let me point out a few that work:
- Panera Bread. In the past year, it developed a TV ad for “the making of a perfect panini.” The commercial gives close-ups of the fresh, natural ingredients that make up the panini combined with a soothing voiceover and background string music. It gives an aura of excellence, which is in keeping with the brand’s image of wholesomeness.
- Chili’s. The chain, or rather its customers, have been suffering withdrawal from the 2-for-1 price meal promotions it was popular for during the recession. (It drew in customers, but did nothing for profits. Yet without the promotion, customers aren’t coming back.) So in the past year, its advertising has had to convey two things: price value and a quality-food image. In a 30-second ad, the chain first built a “fresh” image by focusing on one menu item, its Quesadilla Explosion Salad, with all the fresh, natural ingredients that go in it. Then it shifted to a limited-time-only offer of an entrée and appetizer for only $9.99. I see the thought and image-building strategy in that ad.
- IHOP. Its “Come hungry, leave happy” tagline is great. Going along with that, the chain works hard at being seasonal, a growing proposition for restaurants. Each season it launches a limited-time promotion for something that is on target with that season. It did it in only 15 seconds in one ad this fall. A man in his front yard raking leaves was interrupted as a crowd ran across his yard, through the leaves, scattering the raked pile. The scene set the seasonal stage for IHOP’s “fall festival of flavors.” The crowd running through his leaves was on its way to IHOP for the three limited-time menu items pictured in the ad.
These ads all show purpose. And what I’m saying is, I hope Hardee’s new advertising agency will see the light and figure out what the chain should be promoting and do it right. Let’s quit disrespecting and alienating women and get with the program.
What do you think?
Jody
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