Media project

CARLS JR ADVERTISEMENTS

If we look around us, the “Raunch Culture” Ariel Levy has described in her book Female Chauvinist Pigs is evident throughout all types of advertisements. Companies, brands and chains have managed revolutionize marketing by using women as props to sell a product.  Selling sex is a key component in today’ s industry, but selling sex to market a totally unrelated product is something that Levy would definitely define as “Raunch Culture”.  Advertisements by Carls jr , specifically the ones involving scantily clad, fame hungry, aspiring celebrities shows us that selling sex where sex shouldn’t be is simply aiding in turning women into sexual objects.

Carls jr advertisements involving Kim Kardashian, recently launched in the New Year, consist of her seductively eating a salad while showing off her curvaceous body in bed.  This advertisement is the most recent example of this restaurant chain using women to sell their food. However in 2005, this company launched a racy commercial of Paris Hilton eating a juicy burger while perching soaped up, half naked on the hood of a car.  This form of advertising rocked the media, garnering a huge amount of attention, which is precisely what the ads intended to do.  Last year, they released a commercial of Audrina Partridge (character on hit reality show The Hills) eating one of their specialty burgers while sunning her oiled body on the beach. Even the language in both the Partridge ad and the Kardashian ad refers to sex. The women purr out such comments as “I have to be a little bad” and “While the best things in life are messy, it’s fun to get clean.”  Meanwhile the camera sweeps over their bodies. This whole idea of using a woman’s body as a provocative tool to gain attention and generate interest for the product is undoubtedly smart. But is it right? Regardless of if it was for money, or attention, or because they simply felt liberated by doing it, they made themselves into sex symbols and continue to market themselves in that fashion.  They are sending the message that they do not care if they are being cheaply used to excite men into remembering the commercial, remembering the brand.

All three of these women mentioned have turned into fierce business masterminds, with each pulling millions of dollars in reality TV, fashion, fragrances, clothing as well as other endorsements.  Coincidentally (or not) each woman has also had a sex tape leak to the public.  Plastic surgery has also been linked to each of these women, Partridge being the only one to confirm that she has had a breast implant. Carls Jr was well aware of the scandals when they hired each of these stars, knowing that they are the objects of sexual desire for men around the globe. In fact Carls Jr does not even deny they only use beautiful, sexy women in their ads. The firm MendelsohnZien, an advertising firm based out of LA has been behind all of Carls Jr’s advertisements involving marketing with the women. In a recent article of QSR magazine about the company, the Carls Jr advertisements, specifically Kim Kardashians, were held to very different opinions.

In the article it states that the ad “appears to be targeting women, although there are components that no doubt appeal to the chains' target demographic of 18-to 34-year-old males” It also goes on to state that Kim Kardashian’s ad has garnered millions of hits on YouTube, they also credit this commercial as singlehandedly boosting salad sales at the restaurant to new heights. Surprisingly, the salad sales indicate that a large number of women are buying these salads, over 60% in fact. Spokespeople for the advertisement claim that Kim Kardashian is dubbed as a celebrity who appeals to both men in women.

Experts say not to be confused, Denise Lee Yohn a business consulting pro states “Carl's Jr. has carved out a distinctive brand position with offerings and advertising squarely targeted to young males," she said. "Many of their past communications seem intentionally alienating to the female market —  e.g., Paris Hilton car wash, mechanical bull rider, etc. — and they’ve experienced a great deal of success with this approach. To now switch gears and try to also target women just doesn’t make sense."

This brand of advertisement works, but is it realistic? In all honesty would any of these celebrities eat their food the way it is depicted in the commercials?  In Female Chauvinist Pigs Ariel levy says “ That women are now doing this to ourselves isn’t some kind of triumph, it’s depressing. Sexuality is inherent, it is a fundamental part of a human being, and it’s more complicated than we seem to be willing to admit.  Different things are attractive to different people and sexual tastes run wide and wild. Yet somehow, we have accepted that as fact the myth that sexiness needs to be something divorced from everyday experience from being ourselves.” (pg 44) Carls Jr is creating an image that in order to be appealing to a man, you need to be awkwardly eating food while wearing practically nothing at all. Do they truly enjoy what they are seductively eating? Or is it just a show to please the viewer?

 These women chose to appear in these advertisements and had the confidence to do so. But yet feel unsatisfied with their bodies, at least enough for at least one woman to get plastic surgery. The times have changed, no longer do women care if they become the object of a mans desire, in fact many want that.  These particular celebrities have “Sold” themselves shamelessly, and are enjoying the rewards. This type of promotion is exactly what Levy deems is what is wrong with society today. This “Raunch Culture” is not freeing women and giving the options to perform this advertising, it’s forcing them to. The impact and response to this form of advertising makes one ask, How much longer can we continue to degrade ourselves at the expense of selling an object? How much further can we go?

 

http://www.carlsjr.com/company/releases/audrina-patridge-trades-the-hills-for-the-beach-in-hot-new-ad-for-carls-jr/

http://www.mzad.com/press/