Life & Style

Hardees faces heat over 'fresh buns' advertisement

Fast food chain wants its loyal customer base to quite literally take a second look at its 'buns'

Web Desk July 21, 2015

Fast food chain Hardees, a sister brand of the American Carl's Jr, is known for its juicy burgers and milkshakes. But the global favourite, which landed its feet in Pakistan in 2009, now wants its customer base to quite literally take a second look at its buns.

A new advertisement seen on the fast food chain's Lahore outlet has everyone talking. The ad captures two buns neatly placed together and a woman's hand firmly grabbing one. The ad reads 'fresh buns'. The innuendo can hardly be missed.

While the Hardees' marketing team definitely pushed the envelope with this one, not everyone seems to be happy about the ad.

Hardees new advertisement. 😮
— Warda (@WardaDotDot) July 20, 2015

Hardees has done a pretty idiotic job with it's latest posters. There are three hundred different ways of advertising fresh buns.
— Roha Nadeem (@RohaNadym) July 18, 2015

Either Hardee's marketing team is too naïve or too beyhooda. One of the two. pic.twitter.com/KhRW8RjAID
— Faran Rafi (@faranrafi) July 16, 2015

Hardee's... they really need to review their marketing strategy pic.twitter.com/PENxMRMshe
— Bilal Farooqi (@bilalfqi) July 17, 2015

https://twitter.com/LaibaSiddiqi/status/623176381015261185

Hardee's marketing campaign is verging on creepy. #Islamabad pic.twitter.com/zyH6MfGXX2
— Faran Rafi (@faranrafi) July 16, 2015

https://twitter.com/SleepyyTurtle/status/623108135788527617

That Hardees ad is awfully lewd; revolting advertising strategy for a restaurant. #jahaalat
— Sarah (@rahsakh) July 20, 2015

Seriously Hardees?! #Islamabad (Photo via @MUmarMalik) pic.twitter.com/5hAJugZGwn
— Mariam (@creepybyron) July 17, 2015

https://twitter.com/grungerbabe/status/623038266644692993

Some were a little more forgiving

#Hardees in #Islamabad offers a naughty take on #Eid fun. #EidMubarak pic.twitter.com/wAaCDEhjxq
— Adnan Rehmat (@adnanrehmat1) July 17, 2015

people going nuts over the hardees ad. i wish the same outrage was shown towards issues that were much more important smh
— minz (@coffeetotheorem) July 20, 2015

Subliminal Ad campaing by Hardees Brand Managers. Many are criticizing the ads but they already nailed it #GotViral pic.twitter.com/TDKNGPdMim
— Faisal Ahmed Siddiqui (@faisalsiddiquii) July 21, 2015

My heart and brains goes out for people who have issues with Hardee's campaigns. Tum loag bus billi moti taazi walay ad dekha kero maro
— Umair Mirza (@Umairmirza) July 19, 2015

The adverts for Hardee's were pretty brilliant.. I mean.. You're the one with the dirty mind, they just talkin bout food 😂
— Iman Se (@ImanHazmat) July 19, 2015

This isn't the first time the fast food giant has used controversial marketing techniques. Before its launch in Pakistan, Hardees released a stream of advertisements geared to stir controversy.

The fast food chain's 'unbuckle your belt' advertisement, which featured a pair of jeans with an open zip, being one of the notable ones.

COMMENTS (32)

Jaff | 9 years ago | Reply @Amir: Brother, the worst state of a nation is when they start denying or loose the ability of judging right and wrong. Being a citizen you can at-least should allow other citizens to express their "opinion". not stopping them with such things like "condemn Zardari first" .. you know well everybody is equally helpless like you and me in this country.

Jaff | 9 years ago | Reply @miristan: Glad to know that you are able to find the preaching for crime in my comment?? While you can't see what this "simple advertisement" is preaching?.

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miristan | 9 years ago | Reply @ jaff Now you have committed a crime for preaching violence against simple advertisement. Where is Pakistani police ?

jaff | 9 years ago | Reply One has dirty mind or not, who are you to display such double meaning stuff for one to think dirty?? Every vendor customize their marketing strategy according to the region they are operating. If they don't keep this in mind, obviously they'll face heat. still i'm wondering why no body set this banner on fire, or marked with black paint. Hardees must see hard time on this. ( Note: I'm neither religious, nor extremist.. but simply i don't enjoy and don't support these kind of unethical and idiotic marketing strategies. )

Zain | 9 years ago | Reply @Mohammad: All Hardee's advertisements around the globe are like these. Seriously only we can be so naive.

tungik | 9 years ago | Reply this cuntry will make an issue out of every non-issue like western clothes, influences but will not utter a single word on iliteracy, militancy, jahalat,! no wonder world is progressing and pakistanis are playing with bombs and no electricity

Ovais | 9 years ago | Reply Hardees should know that gay rights have been issued in the US, not in Pakistan. They might just be trying to market to the gay community here.

Ashraf | 9 years ago | Reply Now buns are UnIslamic?? Don't blame the buns if you start imagining other things.

Zaidi | 9 years ago | Reply Some attempt should be made to see what kind of people appreciate such things and what kind of people depreciate them. Educational qualifications and standing in society then must be used to measure the value of such view. If a person has failed school, that person is to be termed as stupid. If a person has excelled in school, that person should have his point of view highlighted and is to be deemed an intelligent fellow. I consider this ad campaign to be stupid, and if the person who has made this is not an exceptional fellow, then so should everyone else.

Amir | 9 years ago | Reply I wonder if they would have shown real 'buns' of a woman, would it not get some supporters??? Would they still not be askimg all critics to grow up? I wonder for us 'less grown ups', would there be a legal way to stop that coz pemra or some other related body would have already approved it by the time public sees it. I wonder, because I see that time approaching fast.....

Amir | 9 years ago | Reply @Faeza: So if we cannot do anything about zardaris corruption and the karo kari situation in sindh, we shouldnt say this ad is bad? Brilliant !!!

Mehreen | 9 years ago | Reply @Faeza: I agree. But this is also a problem, if I may share my opinion: it is an inappropriate ad and if not considered inappropriate will give way to more inappropriateness.

Mehreen | 9 years ago | Reply Also ET, I don't understand why often the articles - which are well written - are coupled with amatuer and corny tweets? For me, in my opinion, the spirit of real news (read people with strong ideas and voices about a topic should be given space than ironic and retweetable-bait tweets to be used to support an argument) is fading.

Mehreen | 9 years ago | Reply It is universal truth what this ad is selling, sells. However, it is inappropriate and unnecessary. Hardees needs to reconsider its marketing strategy if it wants to have a loyal fanbase, based on good food reputation and not cheap sale tactics.

miristan | 9 years ago | Reply Some people have dirty mind.

Amir | 9 years ago | Reply @Noshdoc: True....nothing wrong with naked women showing off their bodies on prime time and on the roads....some way to cleanse the mind. Kudos 5o your strategy.

Noshdoc | 9 years ago | Reply Alot more worse, disgusting and morally wrong is going on in our country the moral police should try to curb that first besides like they say beauty lies in beholder's eyes so does ugliness in the perverts grow up people and purify your minds and cleanse your souls.

Mj | 9 years ago | Reply I like the ad. Definitely pushes the envelope.

Ariba | 9 years ago | Reply This is all nice and good for Hardees' advertisement but pray tell, do they have the guts to do this in an Arab country where shariah is imposed? :) No. They're exploiting our weakness and making business of it. You all are letting them win by not standing against it.

Nadeem | 9 years ago | Reply There could have been other ways of attractive advertisement..Very weak and sick mentality of Hardies ppl...shame on such a qualified staff.

Usaid | 9 years ago | Reply Response Like this from our nation towards a little humour in such tense state limits our nations mindset evolve along with rest of the world.

Aafaaq Ali Khan | 9 years ago | Reply I think, we as a nation lost our values for few pennies. Such a shame that you even feel embarrassed to explain this shi** to your elders and kids. We have two extremes and they exist because of each other :- Religious Fanatics Captalism Fanatics We need to kick both out of our country to ensure a peaceful life based on high values and characters.

Parvez | 9 years ago | Reply Ha,Ha ..... that was mega stupid.

besharam khan | 9 years ago | Reply while in rest of the globe figure like Kim Kardashian breaks the internet, in Pakistan even buns can do it. un buckle your belts and welcome Hardees to Pakistan

Faeza | 9 years ago | Reply Well seriously , its just a stupid advertisement . Now matter how you look at , the buns will be buns . We have bigger and better problems to worry about though I am waiting for the mullaa response to boycott hardees and how it is a yahoodi sazish to pollute the minds of innocent muslim boys

Dr.humayun Jafri | 9 years ago | Reply Not every time your Marketing strategy and advertisement are culturally and morally acceptable to every corner of the world , you have to be very customised. This advertisement is culturally and morally in appropriate for Pakistani market. What I personally feel bcs of current Army operation mullahs of Pakistan have not bn able to react on this advertisement

Fahim | 9 years ago | Reply Do some action before hard liners makes another mess up

Nirmal | 9 years ago | Reply while i dont take this too serious, but hardees in UAE doesn't have courage enough to use these kind of marketing tactics here

GI Joe | 9 years ago | Reply Disgusting perverts promoting lewdness in our society through subliminal messaging.

Furqan | 9 years ago | Reply I find nothing wrong here. This is their marketing strategy and they have achieved what they desired. Yes it is naughty.. and yes its under discussion... and yes i like it.

sean ain | 9 years ago | Reply Classy!

Mohammad | 9 years ago | Reply seriously, only we the Pakistani can think on such lines..... ! amazing.

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