Carl’s Jr. announced that it launched a line of new premium grilled chicken entrée salads.
The line of new entrée salads comes in three varieties, each served on a bed of spring salad mix: the Cranberry, Apple, Walnut Grilled Chicken Salad, with grilled, marinated chicken on top of feta cheese and apple slices, served with dried cranberries, glazed walnuts, and a naturally-flavored raspberry vinaigrette; the Southwest Grilled Chicken Salad, with grilled, marinated chicken on top of sliced red onions, roasted corn and black beans, shredded cheese, and bacon bits with a chipotle Caesar dressing and crunchy seasoned tortilla strips; and the Original Grilled Chicken Salad, with grilled, marinated chicken on top of red onions, shredded cheese, wedge tomatoes, cucumber slices, and croutons served with a choice of dressing.
“Carl’s Jr. pioneered premium quality entrée salads in fast food over 20 years ago but other chains have caught up to us in that time while we were focused on bringing sit-down-restaurant quality burgers to fast-food consumers,” says Brad Haley, executive vice president of marketing for Carl’s Jr. “Our new line of Grilled Chicken Salads put Carl’s Jr. squarely back in the forefront with salads that are just as big and indulgent as the burgers people have come to expect from us. With ingredients like grilled, marinated chicken, dried cranberries and candied walnuts, these salads are so full of flavor that even our most passionate burger lovers will be enticed by them.
In an ad for the salads, Kim Kardashian is shown eating a picnic in bed. Created by Los Angeles–based advertising agency Mendelsohn|Zien and directed by Chris Applebaum, who also worked on the chain’s Paris Hilton and Padma Lakshmi commercials, the ad will debut next week on the Carl’s Jr. Facebook page and YouTube channel, and on television across Carl’s Jr. markets starting December 28.
Kardashian will also host “The Ultimate Salad Lunch Date,” a live event on Carl’s Jr. Facebook page, on January 13 at noon PST. During the interactive lunch, Kardashian will chat via webcam with consumers while eating a Carl’s Jr. salad. Consumers who purchase any of the new salads between December 30 and January 12 will be given a code granting access to ask Kardashian questions during the lunch date. No code is required to watch the event via streaming video.
There is also an augmented reality portion of the promotion, with Kardashian appearing in 3D. Viewers can have the 3D image of Kardashian twirl, blow a kiss, strike a pose, and more. The digital elements of the promotion are being handled by 72andSunny, Carl’s Jr.’s digital agency of record.
