While there certainly have been some mega-successful restaurant marketing campaigns throughout
the history of fast food, there are still many that belong firmly in the list of absolute
marketing fails.
Let's review the questionable highlights of some of the biggest restaurant marketing fails
of all time.
Carl's Jr.'s "burgers"
A parade of scantily clad women started devouring massive burgers in Carl's Jr.'s commercials
in the mid-2000s, and before long, bare flesh became more synonymous with the brand than
their burgers.
These controversial ads have since been affectionately referred to as the "burger" campaign.
The ads became the fast food chain's trademark for a while, until the public decided they
were just over them.
A 2015 poll by Ameritest found that 51 percent of respondents found them to be "irritating
and annoying."
Carl's Jr. disagreed, citing higher sales numbers than usual… but those were probably
due to a coupon released at the same time as the Super Bowl.
Fast forward to 2017, when Carl's Jr. made a swift break from the saucy campaign, releasing
a tongue-in-cheek ad featuring Carl Sr. booting frat-boy Carl Jr. out of the head office.
"Take that down, put that up!"
"That, was supposed to be fresh ingredient, and then that lady got in there and her clothes
flew off it was windy"
The move coincided with a new CEO, and the company's desire to appeal to more than just
the 18-34 year old demographic.
Burger King's "Whopper Virgins"
When considering how the one-time King of Burgers dropped to number three in the fast-food
rankings, it's difficult to zero in on any one marketing snafu.
"I don't know why you would say that."
Was it the use of the polarizing King mascot?
Perhaps.
But it might just have been the ad campaign that offended folks of practically every race,
culture, and creed that really dethroned the one-time King.
In 2008, the Whopper Virgins campaign saw Burger King traveling to remote areas of the
globe to find people unfamiliar with American fast food to taste-test Whoppers and Big Macs.
"They've never seen such a foreign piece of food before and they didn't even quite know
how to pick it up."
Critics pointed out that many of these areas suffered from poverty, with AdWeek commenting
that the campaign was emblematic of American ignorance.
Not a good look.
Starbucks' "Race Together"
In 2015, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz decided to tackle social issues in the U.S. by launching
a rather unusual marketing campaign.
In a video message, he urged Starbucks employees to include the handwritten phrase "Race Together"
on customers' cups.
The company's intention was to "facilitate a conversation" with your barista about racial
tension while you enjoyed your daily latte.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the general public didn't respond warmly to a white billionaire
preaching to them about race relations.
"Not sure what Starbucks was thinking, I don't have time to explain 400 years of oppression
to you and still make my train."
The campaign quickly became fodder for magazine editorials and late-night talk shows.
"Nice try, Starbucks, I guess now at least you can go back to doing what you do best,
burning coffee and glaring at us for using your bathrooms without buying anything."
Schultz eventually admitted the missteps the company may have made with the campaign, though
he didn't back down from his overall intent to foster positive social impact.
Quizno's "spongmonkeys"
Once upon a time, a British animator created bizarre rodent-like creatures that had bad
teeth and wore curious hats.
"Any coupon works!
Beware of paper cuts!"
They sang warbly songs extolling the virtues of the moon, cheese, zeppelins, and furry
animals.
They were called spongmonkeys, and naturally somebody at Quizno's thought they would be
the perfect mascot to sell Americans toasted sandwiches.
"They are so good we'd eat them raw but eating raw subs is barbaric!
We are not the huns!"
The public had a love/hate reaction to the ad's "spokesthings," as Quizno's referred
to them.
The company's main switchboard received 30,000 phone calls in the first week that the odd
creatures screeched their love of "the subs" to the American public.
Nobody hated the spongmonkeys more than franchisees, with one posting a sign on his door saying
that he had nothing to do with the campaign.
While the company wouldn't disclose what the campaign had done to sales figures, they dialed
back on the crazy creatures before long.
Arby's Vegetarian Help Line
It must be challenging for fast-food giants to keep up with all of the food restrictions
potential consumers abide by, but let's face it, vegetarianism is hardly a new fad.
That's why it was something of a head scratcher in 2015 when Arby's took aim at the vegetarians
of the world with their downright rude 1-855-MEAT-HLP ads.
"Has Arby's brown sugar bacon tempted you in ways you never thought possible?
You are not alone.
We can help!
Pick up the phone now"
The help being offered?
Take a deep breath and eat a salad.
Probably somewhere else.
While the brown sugar bacon was only available for a limited time, Arby's stuck the steak
knife in a little further in 2016 with its vegetarian-friendly "bread sandwich."
We're just waiting for the gluten-free people to start their Arby's beef now.