PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF 72ANDSUNNYIF THE NAMEHardee’s makes
you think about how the
Thickburger is made with
all-natural, high-quality
beef—and not Kate Upton
cramming a burger in her gor-
geous face—then everything is
going according to plan.
After moving on from its
longtime bikini-centric ad
strategy in 2016, Hardee’s is
aggressively honing its brand
identity as more forward-
thinking, turning its focus
from babes to burgers—with
a wink. Recent campaigns
include pointed digs at com-
petitors’ menus (an ad spoof-
ing a “Taco Randomizer”)
as well as at itself. One spot
features a fictitious spokes-
person, Carl Hardee, Sr., who
announces the brand’s inten-
tion to cut the smut, blaming
the ads on his wayward son,
Carl, Jr. Adweek applauded,
saying it “brilliantly flips the
script.” In October 2017, the
company, whose current
creative agency of record is
72andSunny, confirmed it was
putting its digital and creative
work up for review.
The year was also marked
by a major C-suite reshuf-
fle, with Whole Foods’
Hardee’s
Founded/ 1960, Greenville, N.C.
Worldwide units/ 2,2 41
U.S. units/ 876 1,
Cost to open a unit/ 1.3 million to $1.95 million $Jeff Jenkins stepping in as
CMO and Jason Marker
replacing Andy Puzder as
CEO. (Puzder was President
Trump’s first pick for Labor
Secretary but withdrew his
nomination.) “We are in the
process of making signifi-
cant organizational changes,
focusing on talent, innova-
tion, and operational excel-
lence in the restaurants,” says