Behold the power of bacon. Superhuman appetites meet their match today at Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s with the arrival of two new menu items that pack a mighty serving of bacon. Featuring four strips of bacon, twice the bacon of their classic menu counterparts at Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s, the new Western X-Tra Bacon Cheeseburger and X-Tra Bacon, Egg & Cheese Biscuit are available now at all participating Hardee’s and at Carl’s Jr. The X-traordinary new items are part of the restaurants’ promotional tie-in with 20th Century Fox’s release of X-Men: Days of Future Past, in theaters May 23.
In addition to the new X-Tra Bacon menu items, the upcoming promotion also includes X-Men-themed advertising, sweepstakes, an instant-win game, collectors’ cup, and in-restaurant merchandising.
“Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s have a long track record of partnering with some of the biggest summer blockbusters, and X-Men: Days of Future Past will undoubtedly be the summer movie event of 2014,” says Brad Haley, chief marketing officer for Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s. “Our young, hungry customers love big superhero films almost as much as they love our big charbroiled burgers and Made from Scratch Biscuits. When we announced our partnership with Fox and X-Men at Comic-Con in San Diego last summer, we couldn’t reveal many of the details at the time but this fully-integrated promotion includes everything from new film-themed menu items to a special effects-filled ad campaign starring three popular X-Men from the movie, beginning with the premiere of our spot next week that features the character Mystique.”
“Besides being a pure thrill-ride, this X-Men movie stars more Academy Award winners and nominees than any film ever made. So, since this promises to be the biggest and bestX-Men film ever, we’re making two of our most popular menu items, the iconic Western Bacon Cheeseburger and the breakfast favorite Bacon, Egg & Cheese Biscuit, bigger and better than ever by loading them up with four strips of crispy bacon, double the amount we serve on the originals,” Haley continues.
The Western X-Tra Bacon Cheeseburger features four strips of bacon (twice the usual amount), melted American cheese, crispy onion rings, and tangy BBQ sauce and is available as a charbroiled single burger, a double burger, or as a 100 percent Black Angus beef Thickburger, which is served on a Fresh Baked Bun. The X-Tra Bacon, Egg & Cheese Biscuit also features four strips of bacon (twice the usual amount), folded egg and American cheese served on a Made from Scratch Buttermilk Biscuit. Prices start at $3.79 for the burger and $2.59 for the biscuit sandwich and may vary by location.
The new X-Tra Bacon menu items will be promoted through X-Men-themed commercials created by Los Angeles- and Amsterdam-based creative agency 72andSunny. Titled “X-traordinary Hunger,” the ad campaign features appearances by iconic X-Men characters who use their mutant superpowers to take down the X-Tra servings of bacon on the new burger and biscuit. The campaign kicks off next week with the premiere of the first ad for the Western X-Tra Bacon Cheeseburger, featuring the shapeshifting X-Men character Mystique. Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s will reveal additional spots starring two more X-Men characters in April.
Following its TV premiere, the Mystique spot also will be available on the Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s YouTube channels. In addition to the commercials, other campaign elements include:
· “X-Men Digital Makeover”: Next week, Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s invite fans to unleash their inner mutants and participate in the “X-Men Digital Makeover” online promotion. Submit a photo of yourself on Instagram using the hashtag #EatLikeYouMeanIt for the chance to receive a photo mutant makeover.
· “X-Men Instant Win Game & Sweepstakes”: In conjunction with Coca-Cola, this April Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s will offer guests the “X-Men Instant Win Game & Sweepstakes.” A unique code on each X-Men-themed cup allows guests to enter on the X-Men microsite for a chance to win a trip for two to experience New York City of past and future. Each 40-ounce collector’s cup includes a peel-and-win component for free or discounted food items, while supplies last.
· In-restaurant merchandising: X-Men-themed large fry cartons will be available at each restaurant, while supplies last, and crew members will sport official X-Men: Days of Future Past hats during the promotion
“Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s have created some of the most iconic film partnerships in recent memory. To have X-Men: Days of Future Past as Carl’s Jr.’s and Hardee’s’ biggest entertainment partnership to date is thrilling,” says Zachary Eller, senior vice president of marketing partnerships at 20th Century Fox. “This program has been a year in the making since we announced our partnership last year at Comic-Con. Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s and their agency teams have created a campaign that has been activated at every level with great thought and creativity. They have gone above and beyond anything done before and it shows in both the scope of the campaign and quality of the creative. We are so proud to have them as a key partner in our marketing program on this major studio release.”
