News
Carl's Jr. targeting women with new entree salads
December 15, 2009
Carl's Jr. is hoping to boost its lagging same-store sales by making salad sexy. Today, the chain launched a line of new premium grilled-chicken entrée salads with a campaign centered around celebrity spokeswoman Kim Kardashian.
The line of new entrée salads comes in three varieties, each served on a bed of spring salad mix:
Cranberry, Apple, Walnut Grilled Chicken Salad: Featuring grilled, marinated chicken on top of feta cheese and crisp apple slices, served with dried cranberries, glazed walnuts and a naturally-flavored raspberry vinaigrette. The salad mix also was upgraded to a blend of more than 10 varieties of lettuces including Green Leaf, Baby Spinach, and Arugula. The new salad has 450 calories and is priced at $4.99 at participating locations.- Southwest Grilled Chicken Salad: Warm grilled, marinated chicken on top of sliced red onions, roasted corn and black beans, shredded cheese and bacon bits with a chipotle Caesar dressing and crunchy seasoned tortilla strips. The new salad has 440 calories without the dressing, which adds another 270 calories, and is priced at $4.99 at participating locations.
- Original Grilled Chicken Salad: Warm grilled, marinated chicken on top of red onions, shredded cheese, fresh wedge tomatoes, cucumber slices and croutons served with a choice of dressing. When topped with Carl's Jr. Low Fat Balsamic Dressing, the salad contains only 235 calories. Priced at $4.79 at participating locations.
"Carl's Jr. pioneered premium quality entrée salads in fast-food over 20 years ago but other chains have caught up to us in that time while we were focused on bringing sit-down restaurant quality burgers to fast-food consumers," said Brad Haley, executive vice president of marketing for Carl's Jr. "Our new line of Grilled Chicken Salads put Carl's Jr. squarely back in the forefront with salads that are just as big and indulgent as the burgers people have come to expect from us. With ingredients like grilled, marinated chicken, dried cranberries and candied walnuts, these salads are so full of flavor that even our most passionate burger lovers will be enticed by them."
Known for its history of sexy ads targeting its young, hungry guy demographic, the chain is drawing on Kardashian's popularity with young adult females with its new salad promotion. The new angle is necessary with unemployment levels for those ages 16-24 now more than double the national unemployment rate.
The new TV ads, featuring the tag line, 'Who says salads can't be hot,' will feature Kardashian enjoying the salads during a luxurious picnic in bed, one of her favorite pasttimes, according to a news release. The ads, created by advertising agency Mendelsohn|Zien and directed by Chris Applebaum, who also worked on the chain's Paris Hilton and Padma Lakshmi commercials, will debut next week on the Carl's Jr. Facebook page and YouTube channel and on television across Carl's Jr. markets starting Dec. 28.
The ad campaign also will feature a digital component and tap into the new trend in augmented reality. The Carl's Jr. Facebook page will feature "The Ultimate Salad Lunch Date," a live event hosted by Kardashian Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2010, at noon Pacific time. During the interactive lunch, Kim will chat via webcam with consumers while enjoying her favorite Carl's Jr. salad. Consumers who purchase any of the new salads between Dec. 30 and Jan. 12 will be given a code granting access to ask questions during the lunch date. No code is required to simply watch the event via streaming video.
The augmented reality portion of the promotion features Kim Kardashian appearing in 3D, inviting guests to join her for the lunch. Following the invitation, viewers can have the 3D image of Kim twirl, blow a kiss, strike a pose and more. The digital elements of the promotion are being handled by 72andSunny, Carl's Jr.'s digital agency of record.
Additionally and for a limited time, participating Carl's Jr. restaurants will offer a 42-oz. promotional cup featuring the new Grilled Chicken Salads and Kardashian.
Carl's Jr. boasts of being the first fast-food restaurant to feature salad bars, debuting them in 1974. In 1988, Carl's Jr. also became one of the first to offer premium packaged fast-food salad, the Charbroiled Chicken Salad, which has received an upgrade in the latest product rollout.
Related Media
Subscribe
Get the latest news and resources from QSR Web.
