Marketing

Carl's Jr., Hardee's NFT auction turns page on 'risqué advertising past'

Image: Provided.

June 30, 2021

Carl's Jr. and Hardee's have jumped into the cryptocurrency craze by creating the brands' first so-called non-fungible token or NFT, a news release said. In this case, the NFT features an image from the brands' 2015 ad campaign showing actress and supermodel Charlotte Mckinney biting into the brands' all-natural burger — which the release said has been dubbed her "bite-shot." The image was create by artist Grace Casas and is being auctioned off on the OpenSea website, with net proceeds going toward The Simon Foundation for Continence, that helps those with incontinence.

The brand said the campaign comes on the eve of Carl's Jr.'s 80th birthday and serves as both brands' "final goodbye to a more risqué advertising past," the release said. The path forward for the brands will instead focus on culinary innovations, like Carl's Jr.'s CBD burger of the recent past and other menu items.

"Charlotte Mckinney is an integral part of one of our most storied advertising moments, and is now stepping into the crypto-culture," Patty Trevino, senior vice president of Brand Marketing at Carl's Jr. and Hardee's parent company, CKE Restaurants, said in the release. "Working with her to auction off our first NFT is the ultimate way to turn the page and move forward from campaigns of our past, while still maintaining our provocative style of doing things."

McKinney's 2015 Super Bowl advertisement helped CKE reach milestones faster than any advertisement at the time, generating nearly 2.5 billion media impressions and 9.5 million YouTube views in just two weeks, the company said.

"Carl's Jr. was a launchpad for my career and I'm forever grateful for our partnership that sparked such a special moment in my life," Mckinney said in the release. "I'm honored to join forces with the brand for its first ever NFT in support of an incredible cause that is near and dear to my heart."

According to OpenSea, the NFT auction continues for four more days, though there were no bids at the time of this writing early this morning.