Here's a statement of the obvious: The opinions expressed here are those of the participants, not those of the Mutual Fund Observer. We cannot vouch for the accuracy or appropriateness of any of it, though we do encourage civility and good humor.
I suppose that the Hooters’ look-alike establishment is really only selling good food at a local Sports bar. I also suppose that a mother will pack her kids into the family car, and visit that business after seeing its advertisement. But I doubt it.
This Sports bar is seeking to influence the same crowd that the Carl’s Jr. hamburger chain is trying to attract. Here is a most recent sample of the Carl’s campaign:
Give it a try yourself. The Carl’s current effort extends the genre populated by soapy-wet females washing cars and battling each other in a pool series of commercials. Wonderful entertainment, but does it actually sell hamburgers?
The answer must be a definite “Yes” since Carl’s continues to commit costly advertising resources to the project. Its success however comes with the price tag of exploiting both women of all ages and young guys.
Carl’s Jr. has been a huge success story since opening its business with a single shack in southern California. Given the dominating financial emphasis that McDonalds places on servicing the entire family, Carl’s has mostly abandoned attempts to lure Mom into its many outlets. Instead, Carl’s has focused on the hungry young male customer.
It seems to be a working strategy. I have personally witnessed its success. Just like President Richard Nixon, I believe you “have to go a long way to beat a Carl’s hamburger”, sexy advertising notwithstanding.
By the way Maurice, I enjoyed your “Not Feeling the Pain” posting. Fun stuff, but it is absolutely in the realm of dishonest propaganda.
After submitting my “Feeling Pain” post I realized that I neglected to include a Link to the Bernays book. It is freely available on the Internet.
Sorry about that omission. I have always believed that access to primary sources is far more credible then secondary sources and interpretations such as I provided in my original posting.
If you share that skepticism, you might want to read the Bernays book directly. Some of the material is dated given that the book was written in the late 1920s. But it has historical significance since it was an early pioneering effort that helped to jump-start the Humans Relations industry.
Here is a Link that gives you free access to “Propaganda”.
I’m shocked, SHOCKED, that you seem more stimulated by my references to the Carl’s Jr. advertisement campaign then by references to the propaganda text by Edward Bernays.
I mentioned the car wash video in my earlier post, and you expressed some interest, maybe even a little lust. So as not to disappoint you MFO fans, I have added a Link to the one minute car wash video as follows:
An edited version of the Carl’s advertisement made the TV rounds in the Southwestern corner of the US a few years ago. Do you fellows see a recurring theme to the Carl’s Jr. strategic selling agenda? I admire their commitment and persistence to influence a carefully selected target. I also admire their choice of advertisement firms and models. They execute well.
The bottom-line is: Do the videos inspire you to rush out for a Carl’s Jr. hamburger that is dripping with too heavy a dose of ketchup? I’m not even sure that I recognize the clips as food ads, but I sure do watch them. They completely grab your attention.
The hamburger wars are tough everywhere. Carl’s Jr. is simply exploiting one of many levers to establish a beachhead in that intense business rivalry.
By the way, the Bentley and the hamburger shown in the Paris Hilton ad are not bad either.
Comments
...and boobs. When the guy said "lumberjills" I nearly spit what I was eating over my keyboard. That's hilarious.
I suppose that the Hooters’ look-alike establishment is really only selling good food at a local Sports bar. I also suppose that a mother will pack her kids into the family car, and visit that business after seeing its advertisement. But I doubt it.
This Sports bar is seeking to influence the same crowd that the Carl’s Jr. hamburger chain is trying to attract. Here is a most recent sample of the Carl’s campaign:
Give it a try yourself. The Carl’s current effort extends the genre populated by soapy-wet females washing cars and battling each other in a pool series of commercials. Wonderful entertainment, but does it actually sell hamburgers?
The answer must be a definite “Yes” since Carl’s continues to commit costly advertising resources to the project. Its success however comes with the price tag of exploiting both women of all ages and young guys.
Carl’s Jr. has been a huge success story since opening its business with a single shack in southern California. Given the dominating financial emphasis that McDonalds places on servicing the entire family, Carl’s has mostly abandoned attempts to lure Mom into its many outlets. Instead, Carl’s has focused on the hungry young male customer.
It seems to be a working strategy. I have personally witnessed its success. Just like President Richard Nixon, I believe you “have to go a long way to beat a Carl’s hamburger”, sexy advertising notwithstanding.
By the way Maurice, I enjoyed your “Not Feeling the Pain” posting. Fun stuff, but it is absolutely in the realm of dishonest propaganda.
After submitting my “Feeling Pain” post I realized that I neglected to include a Link to the Bernays book. It is freely available on the Internet.
Sorry about that omission. I have always believed that access to primary sources is far more credible then secondary sources and interpretations such as I provided in my original posting.
If you share that skepticism, you might want to read the Bernays book directly. Some of the material is dated given that the book was written in the late 1920s. But it has historical significance since it was an early pioneering effort that helped to jump-start the Humans Relations industry.
Here is a Link that gives you free access to “Propaganda”.
http://www.whale.to/b/bernays.pdf
Thanks for lightening the subject matter in a fun way.
Best Wishes.
MJG, can you give me directions on how to get to this Carl's place? I live in Rochester but I'm willing to drive.
Hi Guys,
I’m shocked, SHOCKED, that you seem more stimulated by my references to the Carl’s Jr. advertisement campaign then by references to the propaganda text by Edward Bernays.
I mentioned the car wash video in my earlier post, and you expressed some interest, maybe even a little lust. So as not to disappoint you MFO fans, I have added a Link to the one minute car wash video as follows:
An edited version of the Carl’s advertisement made the TV rounds in the Southwestern corner of the US a few years ago. Do you fellows see a recurring theme to the Carl’s Jr. strategic selling agenda? I admire their commitment and persistence to influence a carefully selected target. I also admire their choice of advertisement firms and models. They execute well.
The bottom-line is: Do the videos inspire you to rush out for a Carl’s Jr. hamburger that is dripping with too heavy a dose of ketchup? I’m not even sure that I recognize the clips as food ads, but I sure do watch them. They completely grab your attention.
The hamburger wars are tough everywhere. Carl’s Jr. is simply exploiting one of many levers to establish a beachhead in that intense business rivalry.
By the way, the Bentley and the hamburger shown in the Paris Hilton ad are not bad either.
Best wishes.