News

Carl's Jr., Hardee's double up on bacon for X-Men tie-in

March 18, 2014

Carl's Jr. and Hardee's have added two new menu items that feature four strips of bacon, the new Western X-Tra Bacon Cheeseburger and X-Tra Bacon, Egg & Cheese Biscuit.

According to a news release, these offerings feature twice as much bacon as their classic counterparts and are available at all participating restaurants this week. The X new items are part of the restaurants' promotional tie-in with 20th Century Fox's release of X-Men: Days of Future Past, in theaters May 23.

In addition to the new X-Tra Bacon menu items, the upcoming promotion also includes X-Men-themed advertising, sweepstakes, an instant-win game, collectors' cup and in-restaurant merchandising.

"Carl's Jr. and Hardee's have a long track record of partnering with some of the biggest summer blockbusters, and X-Men: Days of Future Past will undoubtedly be the summer movie event of 2014," CMO Brad Haley said in the release. "When we announced our partnership with Fox and X-Men at Comic-Con in San Diego last summer, we couldn't reveal many of the details at the time but this fully-integrated promotion includes everything from new film-themed menu items to a special effects-filled ad campaign starring three popular X-Men from the movie."

The campaign begins next week with a spot featuring the character Mystique. Haley said the X-Men movie stars more Academy Award winners and nominees than any film ever made.

"So, since this promises to be the biggest and best X-Men film ever, we're making two of our most popular menu items, the iconic Western Bacon Cheeseburger and the breakfast favorite Bacon, Egg & Cheese Biscuit, bigger and better than ever by loading them up with four strips of crispy bacon, double the amount we serve on the originals," he said.

Prices start at $3.79 for the burger and $2.59 for the biscuit sandwich and may vary by location.

The new X-Tra Bacon menu items will be promoted through X-Men-themed commercials created by Los Angeles- and Amsterdam-based creative agency 72andSunny. In addition to the commercials, other campaign elements include:

• "X-Men Digital Makeover": Next week, Carl's Jr. and Hardee's invite fans to participate in the "X-Men Digital Makeover" online promotion. Submit a photo of yourself on Instagram using the hashtag #EatLikeYouMeanIt for the chance to receive a "photo mutant makeover."
• "X-Men Instant Win Game & Sweepstakes": In conjunction with Coca-Cola, this April Carl's Jr. and Hardee's will offer guests the "X-Men Instant Win Game & Sweepstakes." A unique code on each X-Men-themed cup allows guests to enter on the X-Men microsite available at carlsjr.com and hardees.com for a chance to win a trip for two to experience New York City.
• In-restaurant merchandising: X-Men-themed large fry cartons will be available at each restaurant, while supplies last, and crew members will sport official X-Men: Days of Future Past hats during the promotion.