News

Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s tap new AOR

January 3, 2011

Los Angeles-based David & Goliath has been named as the new agency of record for CKE Restaurants, parent company of Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s brands.

The agency will be responsible for all traditional media creative, with a heavy focus on broadcast.

72andSunny, which recently created a comprehensive mobile rewards app for Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s, will continue as CKE’s digital AOR. Media duties, which are currently handled by the Interpublic Group of Co.’s Initiative, were not under review.

The combined media budget for Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s is approximately $100 million.

David & Goliath’s portfolio also includes Kia Motors, MGM Resorts, Universal Orlando, Bacardi and the California Lottery.

"This is a huge win for us, and we're absolutely thrilled to be working with Carl's Jr. and Hardee's," said David Angelo, chief creative at D&G. "At David & Goliath, we love to take on Goliath-sized challenges, and no industry is more of a challenge than the QSR category. We can't wait to get to work."

That work is tentatively scheduled to begin in the spring.

"David & Goliath really seemed to understand the core of our brands' image and attitude, and that came through clearly in the pitch," said Brad Haley, executive vice president of marketing for CKE Restaurants Inc. "While they presented a fresh new way to portray Carl's Jr. and Hardee's in our marketing communications, they retained the edginess and risk-taking that we have become famous for over the years."

CKE Restaurants’ Carl’s Jr. has solidified a reputation for its bold advertising with some help from reality television stars such as Kim Kardashian, Padma Lakshmi and Paris Hilton. The ads, created by longtime AOR Mendelsohn Zien, which was in the running as the incumbent, provided a bit of a boost for the chain, but the creativity didn’t translate as well for its sister chain Hardee’s.

The AOR's campaign for Hardee’s Biscuit Holes, for example, was deemed inappropriate by many consumers, as well as the Parents Television Council, and was pulled from a handful of markets.

CKE, headquartered in Carpinteria, Calif., includes more than 3,150 restaurants in 42 states and 18 countries.