Carl’s Jr. Harkens Back To 2005 Paris Hilton Ad With New Alix Earle Super Bowl Commercial

Carl’s Jr. is BACK with a bikinis and burgers Super Bowl commercial.

20 years ago, the fast food chain Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s teamed up with Paris Hilton for a culture-changing commercial highlighting the blonde bombshell in skimping clothing while chowing down on a burger. The 2005 commercial was a cultural phenomenon partnering with the ultimate party girl at that time, Paris Hilton.

In 2017, CKE Restaurants (Carl Jr’s parent company) released a statement stating it was changing its ad strategy from bikinis and burgers. The Wall Street Journal reported that Brad Haley, then the CMO, said the company’s steamy marketing strategy distracted fans from the quality of its food. 

“Since premiering our now iconic ad starring Paris Hilton 12 years ago, Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s have become synonymous with two things: bikinis and burgers.”

However, after moving away from that iconic brand image, the company is bringing back the ad years later, teaming up with the current “it” party girl, Miami-based influencer Alix Earle.

Earle, who is dating the Miami Dolphins player Braxton Berrios, went viral during Covid when she was a student at the University of Miami, showing off her going-out lifestyle in the south Florida city. As she’s built out her brand, she’s carried that party girl persona into this new chapter of her life, often showing off her wild nights out behind DJ booths, battling hangovers, and her skimpy outfits that show off her rack.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DFtYOwdxFVl/

Because her lifestyle resembles Hilton’s (except not quite as rich as Hilton Hotels heiress), Alix Earle was the perfect person to promote Carl’s Jr.’s new “hangover burger.” For the commercial, Earle struts around in a skimpy skirt and top.

The influencer is walking through a town that’s in hangover shambles after drinking heavily through the Super Bowl; she promotes the burger as the perfect hangover cure, noting that if fans sign up for the rewards program, they can get a free hangover burger the day following the Super Bowl, February 10th.

Dudes will watch this commercial and think, ‘Hell yeah.”

The return of this steamy ad reverts to everything that their marketing team tried to move away from, but who doesn’t love bikinis and burgers? It’s the perfect combo.

In 2011, CKE Restaurants’ website posted a press release, which has since been archived, noting that this ad strategy works, and the facts are the facts that people like to see an attractive woman on their screen devouring a massive burger.

“We believe in putting hot models in our commercials because ugly ones don’t sell burgers. That’s just the way it is.”

If it’s not broken, why try and fix it?

While this advertisement is aimed at Super Bowl viewers, Jennifer Tate, chief marketing officer at CKE Restaurants, told The Wall Street Journal that due to the high cost of Super Bowl commercials, they opted to run this advertisement on traditional and streaming TV for specific markets and will not feature it during the big game.

The fast food chain teaming up with Earle was the perfect choice to re-enter this era of advertisements and will get attention no matter how it’s chosen to be run. And honestly, that’s not a bad-looking burger…