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Does Hardee’s go too far with ‘a-hole’ biscuit ad?
July 25th, 2009, 7:24 am · 87 Comments · posted by Nancy Luna, Staff Writer
Has Hardee’s gone too far with its latest product promotion?
In a new ad, Hardee’s is promoting its new “Biscuit Holes” topped with icing. The ad shows random people testing two kinds of biscuits: the A-hole vs. the B-hole.
You can only imagine the funny responses that follow during what seems like a “mock” survey. “The A-Hole is nasty,” one woman says.
More foul names result in the company’s new “Name Our Holes” website.
Remember, Hardee’s is the sister-chain to Carl’s Jr., famous for its edgy commercials.
Still, some are not amused.
Boddie-Noell Enterprises Inc., the largest Hardee’s franchise operator in the U.S. with 341 locations in the Southeast, condemned the Biscuit Holes ad, according to QSR magazine.
CKE Restaurants, the parent company of Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr., said it adopts a “creative approach” aimed at its target audience: young, hungry guys.
“We do not aim to exclude or offend any other group with our efforts, but merely to appeal and amuse a very specific audience. With respect to the referenced commercial for Biscuit Holes, the spot is only airing after 9 p.m. Our franchisees have the opportunity to provide input on which commercials will air in their respective markets and can choose not to air any that they might have a particular concern with. There are no present plans to drop the ads.”
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Thanks to BeachBumBob for sending me the video.
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Too far?
Hardees?
Parent company of Carl’s JR, and they themselves merchants of shockingly juvenile and disgusting ads themselves?
Color me Surprised!!!!
Look.
The no talent hacks over at Carl’s and Hardee’s go the low road in their advertising each and every time because of a combination of a lack of talent on their and their ad agency’s part and more importantly, (and something the CEO of carl’s even implied) because it gets them press.
Please stop covering their sensationalist ads. It is EXACTLY what they want you to do to stretch their ad dollar.
This is not “news” in any way any more it is “news” that Howard Stern made another bathroom joke this morning on his show. NO difference.
Maybe if the press ignores their tired and repeated sleaze angle to their ads, they will, SHOCK, need to market in a respectful (In-And-Out) or humorous angle (like Jack in the box) and not resort to the lowest brow, the lowest instninct, and the low road of sleaze that the management of Hardee’s and Carl’s seem to not mind wallowing in.
Since the Carl’s Jrs’ have started those blatently sexual ads I have not shopped there and encoourage my friends not to. There is no reason to sell food with sex and inuendos. This is just a sign of the declining moral fiber in this couontry! Carl Karcher would be opposed to this filth! Oh and I’m not part of the moral minority in this country. Just a woman with some class. Oh by the was Carls’ JR. Rates below0 on class!
I agree with you Annamarie! I have NEVER shopped at Carls Jr either! But I sure eat there every week, WOW that breakfast burger was amazing this morning! All I could think about was SEX and DRUGs when I ate that thing!
YourSon: You eat a fast food breakfast EVERY week? You should be thinking about cardiac arrest and hypertension instead of sex and drugs.
When it comes to ilovemesome2buckchuck, methinks you doth complain too much (I apologize to Shakespeare). Fast food at its core is sensationalistic. Every mass advertised product is hyped. Are you going to blame the TV stations that air this particular commercial? It made me laugh. Come on, “That A-hole tastes funny”, is funny. You mentioned Jack in the Box, isn’t a stoner asking for 99 tacos low brow sleaze least common demoninator advertising? They all do it. You hate Carls we get it. Now for the sake of all that’s holy, LAY OFF THE JUICE!!!
I agree 100%. The low road, indeed.
I personally have not eaten at Carl’s since their first repellent ad (If it doesn’t get all overr the place,” etc.
I say keep it. Too bad if it offends anyone. What is funny to one is not funny to another. Too Bad, get over it! In addition, all this does is give them free advertising and more business. Think about it.
Can’t wait to try some! But there’s no Hardee-har-hars in OC - where can I get the holes?!
it’s news in the fact that the parent company is Carl’s Jr which is based in Orange County. it’s not news as there are no Hardees anywhere near Orange County.
and it is a rather stupid commercial.
A reminder to those who don’t read this blog very often: The mission statement of this blog states that it covers “restaurant news, culture and trends.” Advertising falls under the cultural aspect of fast food. We relish hating, mocking or laughing at good FF commercials. Some of my most popular posts EVER have had to do with FF ads: Ex. Jack Box bus bashing saga; Carl’s Jr. sexy teacher ad, Del Taco firing Dan.
Thanks for reading, and have a good weekend. Nancy
Carls jr. commercials are offensive to me. CkEs CEO is offensive to me. And their food is too expensive. This is why I don’t go to Carls anymore. And until there is serious change, I won’t go there
so does that mean you are an a-hole
I am. And your mom knows all about it,
I don’t think that statement came across the way you wanted it to.
So in other words if you are a restaurant and only have a limited marketing budget:
1) Create a titillating commercial (Don’t worry about taste or decorum and if you can show lots a boobs in it then even better.)
2) Send Press Release to the media and watch them lather up and repost your commercial many times over showing it to many many more people then you originally had the budget for.
3) Profit!
How dah thunk it was so easy to manipulate the media?
To Ilovemesome….No press release sent to me on this one. I got an email from a loyal reader (as stated in the bottom of the blog post) ….about the commercial. After a quick google search, I noticed that some Hardee’s franchisees were upset by the ad..So, I posted. No press release.
The statement from Hardee’s/CKE was prompted after I asked them to comment.
The number of comments to the post (21 so far), demonstrate to me, that this was an interesting story to discuss.
Boobs and titillation do a good commercial make.
very low brow… very funny… actually, ridiculously funny. hopefully it only runs in grown up tv show commercial spots! it could be funnier if Paris was asking the questions though…
Now whenever I think of Carl’s Jr I’m going to think nasty a-hole.
No surprise…the current leadership of CKE has no class. I’ve been a loyal customer since I was little and have decided last year to not eat there again until the family atmosphere returns that Carl himself, a devote family-man would be proud of… the Board apparently has no respect for the family name or heritage of this company. They probably will look back on this era of the company with nothing to be proud of- they did not do the right thing when things are tough- they sold out to sleaziness. Carl is surely in a better place- he doesn’t have to be exposed to this dragging of the family name through the grime…
Chuck, years ago, about the time their stock was tanking, CKE decided to stop competing in the McDonald’s space and, instead, staked out a position as a niche player, and that niche is “young, hungry guys.” They obviously pursue their niche aggressively, so it shouldn’t be a surprise when a new ad upsets people outside of that niche. Sure, they could have opted to stay the course set by Carl Karcher, but they also could have in the process run the company into the ground, as have other companies that stubbornly did not change as circumstances changed.
Yep you hit it right- this company is really desperate. Since they have not employed a creative marketing campaign nor improved their stores and food, they have chosen cheap gimmicks. I’m glad I don’t hold any stock, as it’s probably going to go under any year now, based on these acts of sheer desperation. Companies that use the sleazy approaches are not the front-runners. They tend to be one of 2 things- either a new company trying to crack into a market or a failing business trying to avoid bankruptcy. It seems pretty obvious which if the 2 CKE is now…if you have stock, I’d get rid of it before it’s too late.
Chuck,
I do admire individual excellence in athletic performances such as sports or the Olympics.
I don’t understand what being a “Fan” means other than slavish loyalty to a team or individual, regardless of their performances, such as the Chicago Cubs ‘Fans’.
Chuck states he is/was a Fan of CKE. I’m baffled as that goes way past liking or disliking the food. Reacting to marketing tools is normal and asserts your very limited influence on the results. Chuck, your best shot is to complain to the company, which then tells them you are watching. Not your desired effect?
Personally I would never buy a “ShamWow” as the incessant advertising has gone past what humanity should be subjected to. I now prefer waterboarding to those commercials.
Marc - where does Chuck say he is a “fan”? He said he was a loyal customers, which can be taken as the same thing, I guess. And you can be a “fan” of anything; not just sports related.
Marc960- Where did I use the word ‘fan’? In any case, having fan-like feelings toward a company, similar to a sports team would suggest that sometimes they win and others they lose, but a fan continues to root for them? I suppose there is some things in common with the idea. There does come a time when the fan-like adoration goes away when the team decides to play the game by becoming cheaters or just is allowing themselves to degrade the game…
I used to be an assistant manager of a Carl’s way, way back in the day. It is a travesty what CKO’s current management has done to the reputation of the company. Poor Carl, a good, conservative, deeply religious man.
They picked one target market and decided to blow off everyone else - families, the baby boomers (who, BTW, have more disposable income than those young turks, but then again, we’re probably not as likely to be eating all that heart-killing crap all the time. My 22yo son doesn’t care about heart attacks and high blood pressure). I won’t eat at Carl’s anymore.
chuck says-
I couldn’t have said it better myself! I stopped eating at carl’s long ago when there
no class ad agency started all there tastless ad’s.
I have thought carl’s is a bunch of A-HOLES ever since! If there target customer is young hungry guy’s, Good because I think that’s about all the customers there going to get!
Like it or not, sleaze sells, and Carl’s Jr. has it mastered. I often have objections to their ads, and this Hardee’s ad is no exception. Consider this, though: The controversial word in the ad is also in the blog title above and repeated in the blog entry itself. It’s hard to avoid sleaze, because we live in a competitive world and, as I said, sleaze sells.
I don’t disagree with your point- but I would suggest the premise the good food and a good campaign also sells. The company decides which route they wish to take. The Karcher family built a family-oriented business and the reputation has now been sullied. Once, when I thought of the name Carl Karcher it brought to mind the “Star” logo, big juicy hamburgers and nice clean restaurants. Now, when the name Carl Karcher is mentioned I think of stripping girls with crass teenagers in dirty restaurants…nothing about the food itself. In fact, it just makes me sad for the family and the church friends that the Karcher family once had…
Companies can choose to go to ‘easy’ route and sell sleaze or they can be creative with good principals and create a superior product, such as In-and-Out Burger- both routes can lead to success- it’s a choice. I suggest that the CKE Board has made the poor choice for their company and it’s a real disappointment for those of us who respect the family and company name.
Once again proving that ever infamous stick up everyones anus is bigger then ever! This can’t be any worse then the erectile dysfuction and beer commercials that are on every commercial break. I find the commercial rather funny and creative. But then again we should frown upon thinking outside of the box.
Thinking outside the box? Sorry dude, fart jokes have been around since the beginning of time…that’s what this is. Large companies who have the power to command the public’s attention have a responsibility to society, whether they have any sense of genuine leadership to acknowledge that. If you want to see creativity, look to the insurance company Geico who have created 2 campaigns around cavemen and a lizard…that’s outside of the box. Fart jokes and girlie pictures on the back of bubble gum wrappers are as old as dirt and the company that pays an ad team to design that it wasting it’s money and not respecting the power that they have to influence the public with creative and responsible messages.
mildly funny…i think jack in a box commercials are the best!
Carl’s Jr could really take a lesson on how to spend their ad dollars just by studying the Jack in the box commericals. ( but then Carl’s people would have to understand english, has some class and education) The Jack in the Box commericals are well written, fast to make a sales pitch and don’t need the low brow gimics that Carl’s does.
When you think a company like Jack in the Box can sell food with a voice over and a man in a suit with a plastic clown ball on his head in their commericals, they must have pretty smart folks working for them. The sleeze that Carls’s has to use is pretty much in par with the quality of their food, the people working for them and the out dated architecture of their stores. I can imagine the type of people that work there.” Think white trash”. A perfect match for the marketing company they work with.
I support companies that have quality food like( IN N’ OUT BURGER) and Jack in the Box. And that have quality marketing people that know how to sell their products with class and great humor.
HEY CARL’S……. Drive past an IN N’ OUT BURGER. The stores are clean, the people are TOP RATE and the FOOD IS THE FRESHEST AND BEST TASTING AROUND and their commericals are pleasant and clean. Also, note the LONG LINES at EACH STORE. Gee, I wonder how that happens?
Lighten up,people.
One must always have class… a lost art in america today in almost any genre.
When I watched the video, it wasn’t as bad as I had expected from reading the story. I do, however miss the happy star advertising. I guess advertising changes with the times, and apparently things are changing for the worst. I must admit that the commercial with the girl in the gold bikini got me to notice the teriyaki burger, which I tried, and found to be delicious! After sharing one, my daughter and I laughed about how no matter how many we ate, we would never be her.
Way too far…this advertising agency that has been hired has got their minds in the gutter. I am sure they laughed so hard when this idea came up… REALLY NASTY!!
No actually, they have their heads up their A-hold.
I’m a somewhat “young hungry guy”, CKE can go to hell until they start showing some class. We all have a responsibility to each other and society to behave the best we can in any way shape or form, they fail us miserably…
Ian, I love you and want to have your children!
Odd choice of words for someone expecting others to show some class.
I’m not sure why this is even such a big deal. We hear people say A-Hole on TV every day. We also see women in bikinis or skimpy clothes all the time. I prefer these new commercials more than their old ones where people would slobbber, drool, and slurp burgers. Now those commercials I found disgusting.
I sorta agree with you about it being a big deal. Do that many people even WATCH commericals any more? I DVR 95% of the TV that I do watch, so I fast forward thru just about every commerical, except I will sometimes watch a movie trailer. Even when I am watching “live” TV, I either mute the commerical or do something else, even just looking out the window, when a commerical comes on.
And anyway, this commericial is meaningless to us, here in Orange County, CA, as the nearest Hardees is about 1100 miles away.
These type of things never seem like a big deal if taken as a lone example. I agree that the ‘world’ has generally lowered standards so far that we just go along with whatever comes our way without question. When do we say enough is enough and say something then? When Carl’s offers us a Hustler-Burger next…with patties shaped like body parts? I’d imagine that they ad team likes this idea…Frankly, I’m done just accepting trashy acts of the media and marketing people…
My family stopped eating at Carl’s a long time ago because we found their ads offensive . We have many other and better choices. No Hardees near us, but really, you can be creative and “edgy” without being crass.
Speaking of crass, I’d like to think comedy doesn’t have to be crass, but Judd Apatow is proving me wrong and laughing all the way to the bank. Times change. If their crass ads weren’t working, Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s would change them.
I will be moving away from supporting CKE in the future. I had discussed this with others in my circle of friends and coworkers, Most of us agree that the burgers are tasty, bt the ads lack taste. Too much potty humor and pornograffiti. Funny how Carl Karcher was such genuinely conservetive soul but his legacy is a company that takes advatage of our nations prurience.
Jack in the Box commercials for years, every one, has been a classic, a delight, absolutely hilarious. Give thanks when thanks is due.
Carls commercials, not. We hate the guy’s chomping and slurpiong and dripping; but the babes we love.
Personally I think it’s great!
There’s more to humor (and satire) than Bill Cosby or (fill-in-the-blank G-Rated Comic).
This was clever, cute and hillarious.
Not terribly offensive either, compared to the ubiquitous commercials w/ women prancing around half naked.
I’m also a B-hole kind of guy. Some of the A-holes on the comments board need to loosen up a bit. That is a funny spot.
You are all a bunch of A holes
So many people are way too uptight. There are alot of armchair quarterbacks commenting. If you can make a commercial better than that go for it and rake in the cash.
Myself I don’t like either the A-Hole or the B-Hole. But I have a craving for the P-Hole.
@Angry white dude
That is just disgusting!! And I’m no prude but this type of comment is exactly why these commericals are inappropriate! Think how many young,impressionalble boys are going to be exposed to this crap! Again Carls jr needs to worry about their overpriced,underrated food.
It’s odd that you would use a 4-ltr word to criticize someone else’s inappropriate language.
IT costs 9 dollars for a combo at Carls. I have to scream My order into the speaker phone at Carls, as they hire employees who can barely speak english. At Inn and Out it is 6 bucks a combo, the employees understand and speak english and made by American kids. Ill choose Inn and Out anyday!
the people at Carls are also “American”. They live and work in North America- ipso facto - Americans!
It’s fair to criticize the ads, but why do so many commenters feel compelled to thrash the food and employees, too?
Gotta say it: you can barely spell or write in English.
Of course my comment is directed to Thedance, not howard.
I am a normal worker bee and I love this ad, it is REAL. People wake up and smell the coffee. I am a “NORMAL” working citizen, and this is just too FUNNY.
their commercials show too much! they make women look like toys!
After reading mvmommy’s comments over the last few months, I find her to be brillant and all knowing on food subjects. She would be a perfect candidate to represent Hardee’s newest product.
No shortage of hyperbole, but kinda hard to tell if it’s complimentary or wildly sarcastic.
Thanks newportbob, but someone else is already all knowing and Hardees offered the position to someone else cuz I picked the A-hole.
Only a holes eat at Carls or Hardee’s.
Hunh, your language fits their demographic target…
Judging from the OCR Food Section, I would say that their Cathy Thomas is an A-Hole!
That was not only off-topic, but a cheap shot, to boot.
All the “B” hole lovers voted for the loser Obma…
Mike can’t spell so I’m glad he didn’t vote for Obama. Typical uneducated, cheap wine drinking republican. You and that 2buckchuck fellow must be friends. As a woman, the most offensive thing I have come across of late was the republican party parading a beauty queen as a candidate for vice-president.
All you A-hole conservatives need to get a sense of humor. Laughter never killed anyone.
Funny, but not as funny as the Aspercream commercial…”You bet your sweet Aspercream.”
What I find funny is “How are they Gonna Top This?” plus
check out this small upstart company and there sexist ad. Do you think they are gonna go out of business
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHnqnyzegfc&feature=related
I don’t think they are going to make using these types of ads!
Hey Got Ya!
Just goes to show how things are the same, except in the swinging 70’s this was exceptable and fun and wow, you could book tickets on southwest fast enough.
another thing chill out lifes to short
http://www.cmt.com/videos/alan-jackson/58991/its-five-oclock-somewhere-with-jimmy-buffett.jhtml
Thanks BBB! I NEEDED to be reminded not to take life so serious sometimes.
I’m usually not so uptight but life has been a bit overwhelming the last month or so. But, I will stop, take a breath and remember that I don’t have it so bad and life is good.
So, today I will eat cupcakes from Frostings (FULL of that nasty sugar) and drink beer (FULL of all sorts of bad for you stuff) to celebrate my sons 21st b-day and life.
And then we will go eat some fast food somewhere (cuz we had the b-day dinner last night at New Shogun). Too bad there arn’t any Hardees around, we could try the B-holes!
Hey Fantastic! and may your son have a Great Birthday!!!
Remember what Sheriff John use to say!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eH-aTaL3VY
okay I can understand the controversy here. There’s a lot of inuendo in my opinion. It’s not really funny and slightly offensive,but,there’s worse on TV guys! who cares anyway? Hardees isn’t over here and Carls needs to worry more about the quality of their food and less about pushing the envelope!
It does cross the line, and that is precisely what the company is trying to do. They are now filling up two coasts with their sleazy ads. Glad I stopped eating there.
BTW, dan, sorry you lost your job at Del Taco.
mvmommy, go back and watch oprah! You probably weigh 400 pounds. You illegal alien lover
LOL!
I forgot to add: Oprahs not on Sundays. LOL!
havent You heard of Tivo?
I’m more offended with their high prices for microwaved hamburgers at night….might as well put my bullet press vest on, roll deep into Santa Ana, pretend I like Lil Wayne and get real burger at Cozy Drive thru on Harbor Blvd. Dam tasty onion rings also.
I laughed soooo hard at this ad. Wow.
I ate at Carl’s Jr today and it was gross. I won’t be going back again. The commercial with that hot girl in her bikini is awesome. but i’ll pass up on Carl’s Jr and head to in-n-out
I love their Ads so much! Dude, where’s my B-hole– cuz I dont want an A-hole! LOL =)