Carl’s. Jr. built their brand awareness off hot celebrities like Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian eating their burgers in skimpy bikinis. But, at some point, the positives they got out of everyone knowing about their chain were being outweighed by the perception that the chain was run by sexist jerkwads. Via Eater:
The chain has received quite a bit of backlash and in March, a survey showed that many Americans find the commercials to be “offensive,” as well as “irritating and annoying.” However, in a surprising twist, Carl’s Jr. newest commercial star is MMA fighter Ronda Rousey, according to a spokesperson. Rousey is known for her no holds barred attitude inside and outside of the cage.
Unlike the other Carl’s Jr. commercial stars, Rousey has not made her name off of how her body looks. In fact, in response to criticism that her body is too masculine and “huge,” Rousey fired back saying that “every muscle has a purpose and that her body isn’t designed to please anyone.”
That’s a nice way to soften up her actual quote, where she said she’s “not a do-nothing b*tch” whose body “was developed for a purpose other than f*cking millionaires.” That could be taken as a direct potshot at some past Carl’s, Jr. spokeswomen, and just shows you how far apart Rousey is from the rest.
https://twitter.com/CarlsJr/status/627725559598940160
The first Carl’s, Jr. commercial featuring Rousey will debut in a couple of weeks, and all eyes will be on how the company uses her image. Will she show up in a bikini at a car wash, or is the chain serious about repairing their reputation as the “slutburger commercial” company? Time will tell, but I wouldn’t want to be the advertising executive charged with asking Ronda Rousey to do something sleazy.
(via Eater)
