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And apparently that’s what burger chains Carl Jr’s and its sister restaurant Hardee’s are betting on with the launch of their fourth advertisement combining sex appeal with the instant gratification of fast food. This latest ad, featuring a lingerie-clad celebrity Kim Kardashian and Carl Jr’s new cranberry apple walnut grilled chicken salad, depicts a provocative scene of Kim enjoying a crisp salad with succulent fruit and dressing in the privacy of her bedroom and, surprisingly, her bath tub. With lines of “being a neat freak” and liking things “clean, crisp and tasty”, the commercial wins in terms of suggesting carnal pleasures as she eats the attractive salad and licks the dripping dressing off her fingers. With brief close-ups of her hour-glass silhouette and cleavage, it’s tastefully sexy and does indeed show an inviting crisp salad. I am not sure the clean reference works for me (i.e., I would hope the salad is clean) or the need to show her eating the salad in the bath tub is effective. From a demographic perspective, I am not sure this approach works for salads as I view them as a menu option more often selected by woman, but perhaps this is not the case on the West Coast.

Having reviewed the other ads including celeb spokeswomen Padma Lakshmi (former model and host of Top Chef), Audrina Patridge (actress of The Hill) and Paris Hilton (a celebrity known for wealth and exploits), I found Padma’s and Kim’s commercials to be more effective in terms of sex appeal and believability as possible patrons at a fast food joint than those featuring Audrina and Paris. These other commercials also promoted juicy burgers, which I think works better for this type of ad concept. In fact, the burgers looked quite enticing and motivating from my perspective. I also liked the pair off with Padma–while less known–as she is sexy, but could potentially relate to people who have almost a “love affair” with food.

What do you think about these commercials? Would they make you run out to the nearest Carl Jr’s or Hardee’s? Which commercial do you like best? It’s all subjective, but entertaining.