Ad Week: Mendelsohn/Zien Advertising said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery in reaction to a Date Movie television spot that parodies one of the agency's Carl's Jr. commercials. "It's nice to know that we created something iconic," said Mick DiMaria, associate creative director and part of the team on the Carl's Jr. spot with Paris Hilton in next to nothing hosing down a Bentley while eating a hamburger. "The spot must have been shown thousands of times by now, a lot of free advertising for what is still a local fast-food chain. It just keeps going."
The 30-second commercial for 20th Century Fox's comedy Date Movie features a blond atop a car smearing herself with burgers, with a voiceover imitating the original spot: "Can a hot girl really sell burgers? I don't know. But now I want to do naughty things with a cow." The spot cuts to a "product shot" of milk dripping on a mashed up burger against a white backdrop. DiMaria said the film trailer crew even hired the same art director for its parody spot.
