A Perfect Burger for Millennials

Carl’s Jr. seems to have been experimenting with changing their brand every few months in the last few years. To regain old customers and attract new ones, Carl’s Jr. released a risky campaign of commercials with hot bikini models with big greasy burgers a few years ago. Often, a sexual innuendo was paired with it. It was successful; sales increased and it became a memorable brand. However, times have changed and the marketing agency for Carl’s Jr. knows that old brand image will not be successful in the times of the #MeToo Movement.

When Carl’s Jr. changed its brand image from hot bikini models, they had to re-analyze their target market. For the old campaign, their goal was to attract men looking for a big, hardy burger which goes into the brand’s other name for the east coast: Hardy’s. Now, their target market is millennials, ages 23-38. This is shown through their new products. They released all-natural beef burgers, more salads, and now, a plant-based patty. To launch this meatless burger, Carl’s Jr. is attempting to turn the entire brand around once again. Their objective is to stand out by attempting something people would not expect of Carl’s Jr starting with the star of the new commercial. He is an old, bearded cowboy, the opposite of the old bikini models then female comedians. The same goes for the new burger; there is no more meat which people think is the main part of a burger, but not anymore. Their new target market is also seen in the commercial. A large group of young people are doing yoga on the beach, a stereotypical millennial activity. It is also a very diverse group, something else associated with millennials.

Carl’s Jr.’s insight is all about freshness. They fall into the category of fast-food burgers so their main competitors are McDonalds, Burger King, and Jack in the Box. If you’re going for a fast food burger (besides In-N-Out) the consumers assume it’s not the most amazing burger nor the healthiest meal, but that is why their prices are so low and it’s a fast-food chain. The brand discovered they could attract new and old customers by serving the freshest fast-food. They often advertise their fresh buns, all-natural beef patty, and now the plant-based patty.

All new freshness!

The new millennial target market and Carl’s Jr.’s insight relates to their brand positioning. By creating this healthier and fresher veggie burger, they are catering to a large part of the market that rarely eats fast food because there are no options for them. McDonald’s, one of their main competitors, does not offer vegetarian burgers in the US, although they are experimenting with a soy-based burger in Sweden and Finland.

The commercial ends with “where the food is the star” and they play to this by altering the colors. The Carl’s Jr. bag is so vibrant that the Carl’s Jr. star logo and the cowboy are almost competing to be the star of the commercial. The vibrant colors are continued when the burger is taken out of the bag so the viewer’s attention goes to the burger rather than the scene taking place around it. And I admit – that burger looks pretty damn good.

When I first saw this commercial, I was watching TV with my parents. We were watching Modern Family, and it is the only time I watch cable TV. I only saw the commercial because we couldn’t fast forward anymore either. Due to the fact that Carl’s Jr.’s target is millennials, they could get more of their target market to see it if they streamed this commercial on sites like Hulu and Netflix where millennials spend so much time.