Hardee’s steps out of Carl’s Jr.’s shadowHardee’s steps out of Carl’s Jr.’s shadow

Carl’s Jr., with its big, brash style, often eclipses sister brand Hardee’s.

But not today.

“Hardee’s is now getting its turn,” said Jason Marker, CEO of CKE Restaurant Holdings Inc., the parent company of both brands.

A new campaign includes a commercial voiced by country rap artist Big Wet, and features “real people, real moments and real food.” The ad depicts people bowling, setting off fireworks, shooting hoops and, of course, eating Hardee’s burgers, fries and shakes. The tagline for the campaign is “Tastes like America.”

The mellow vibe is distinctly different than previous campaigns for Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s, where bikini models dug into juicy burgers. “Tastes like America” premieres a few months after Carl’s Jr. broke out on its own, too, with a campaign that included energetic ads voiced by Matthew McConaughey.  Both campaigns were created by Havas U.S.

Hardee’s was founded in Greenville, North Carolina in 1960 and acquired by CKE in 1997. Soon after the purchase, Carl’s menu items and iconography started appearing at Hardee’s.

Marker, who has been with CKE for about a year — since former CEO Andy Puzder left after an unsuccessful bid for U.S. Secretary of Labor — said he saw the separation of the brands as an important opportunity for the brands and the company.

The move comes at a time of increased political division in the U.S. While Carl’s Jr.’s are concentrated in urban areas in the west, Hardee’s locations are mainly in the Southern and Midwestern states. The new campaigns could be a way for one company to appeal to both sides of a divided country.

For Marker, the separation was a business decision.

“As we went through and looked at the business and the brand, it became obvious they were very separate,” said Marker. “They needed their separate identities, and in my opinion, any efficiencies or anything else that was gained by communicating them together was significantly outweighed by the advantages of being totally true to what these brands stand for.”

“Carl's Jr. is very much that impossible to ignore, edgy, bold, aggressive, disruptive brand,” he said. “Hardee's, on the other hand, is … authentic and earnest. We call it downhome food done right.”

From a marketing perspective, “When you try to merge two brands together you end up with something that sort of works a little bit for both, but you ended up a little bit in the middle, and the one thing you can't be is neutral,” said Jeff Jenkins, CKE’s chief marketing officer.

As part of the separation process, Jenkins spoke to customers of both brands about hobbies, interests, and musical taste and found they were “incredibly different.”

When they visited and where they were heading next was different for Carl’s and Hardee’s customers, too, he said. For example, While Carl’s only does about 17 percent of its business during breakfast, 50 percent of Hardee’s business comes from the morning daypart.

As part of the new campaign, Hardee’s locations will also be getting a redesign, with new uniforms and food photography, all with a focus on the brand's authenticity and its real food, according to the executives.

The company is making these changes with franchisee buy-in, Marker said.

“They're super excited about it,” he said. “They believe the brands should be separate, and I think it gives them a real sense that we've come in and we've really understood the business.”

Hardee’s has 2,248 domestic and international locations. The redesign rollout will start with six company-owned stores.

Company headquarters in Franklin, Tenn., will also undergo a remodel, representing that “at CKE Restaurants we're equally proud of these two brands,” Marker said.

“We want to become the most loved regional QSR brands in America,” he added.

Contact Gloria Dawson at [email protected] 

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