It seems like Carl’s Jr. doesn’t only make their burgers sizzling hot. The West Coast burger chain turned up the heat on its Super Bowl when the company debuted its newest commercial starring 24-year-old influencer Alix Earle.
The commercial promoting the restaurant’s new hangover burger features Earle in a leather stud star top, a short mini skirt, and a pair of light-washed boots. The burger is topped with double bacon, hash browns, eggs, charbroiled beef, cheese, and sauce. The promotion served as an incentive to sign up for the loyalty program Carl’s Jr. offers. Those enrolled unlocked a free burger reward the day after the Super Bowl. With 127.7 million U.S. viewers tuning in to Super Bowl LIX came 127 million opinions about Earle’s performance.
Carl’s Jr. only has locations in the Midwest and West Coast of America. Despite their limited servicing, the chain was once notorious for its hot and spicy Super Bowl ads. In 2005, Carl’s Jr. featured Paris Hilton eating a burger in a black cut-out bathing suit and heels while washing a car. In 2010, Carl’s Jr. released an ad for its new Cranberry Apple Walnut Salad featuring Kim Kardashian, who ate the salad while taking a bubble bath. During a press release in 2011, Carl’s Jr. said, “We believe in putting hot models in our commercials because ugly ones don’t sell burgers.”
In 2017, Carl’s Jr. stopped airing these sorts of ads, around the same time the #MeToo movement gained popularity in the United States. According to the Wall Street Journal, Tim Calkins, a clinical professor of marketing and associate chair of the marketing department at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management, noted that this ad would not have run several years ago when the American culture was more focused on gender equality and diversity. Calkin said, “I think it does reflect a shift in how the country is feeling … Clearly, with the new administration … what is acceptable conduct is changing, and I think you’re seeing Carl’s Jr. jump right on that trend as one of the first brands that’s really pushing the edge on things like this.”
Jennifer Tate, chief marketing officer at CKE Restaurants, the parent company of Carl’s Jr., says this new rebrand for the campaign is intended to evoke nostalgia while targeting the Gen Z audience. “This is the new world with new rules and new rulers. Alix Earle is a social media empress,” Tate told WSJ. “Carl’s Jr. is having so much fun doing things other brands are too timid to do.”
Many viewers took to the internet to praise and blast Earle for her appearance in the commercial. Public opinion seems to be split. Many users have commented on the ad on TikTok, saying that Earle looks “gorgeous” and “beautiful.” Others have praised the nostalgic feel of the commercial, stating things such as “Oh, we are so back” and “This is so 2000s!”
But with all good press comes bad press, and the Parents Television and Media Council (PTC) was quick to comment on the ad. PTC Vice President Melissa Henson criticized the advertisement for its usage of “sexually suggestive imagery” and compared it to “softcore porn.” Henson released a statement stating, “Using ‘softcore porn’ to sell burgers was Carl’s Jr.’s previous strategy years ago — and one we called out … In 2017, the company appeared to have a change of heart, wisely realizing that strategy was ‘distracting.’ But like Hollywood‘s mindset of reviving old ideas, Carl’s Jr. must have dusted off its outdated playbook, forgetting that it alienated customers with its racy ad campaigns years ago.”
With all the Super Bowl commercials now having been aired, it is up to viewers to decide for themselves whether this Carl’s Jr. ad was a hit or miss. While many praise the commercial for being well thought out and fun, others see it as being promiscuous and degrading to women. For now, all we can do is see what else Carl’s Jr. puts out after Tate’s statement that the brand will release future content with Earle.