Posted on 09/09/2007 5:00:13 AM PDT by ShadowDancer
Hardee's Ad Angers Tennessee Teachers
Chattanooga area Hardees decline to run the ad
Richard Simms
September 5, 2007 - 5:32AM
Hardees Ad Angers Teachers
A new television ad for Hardee's Restaurants has angered representatives of the Tennessee Education Association. Hardees ad executives in Chattanooga declined to run the ad saying "we do our best to promote our products without offending customers. “How irresponsible can you get?"
Those are the words of Tennessee Education Association President, Doctor Earl Wiman. Wiman is upset about a television ad showing a young teacher dancing on top of her desk while boys in the class rap about her body in order to sell hamburgers!
Wiman said, "At this very moment, there are female teachers in high school classrooms with 30-plus students who are working hard to teach our children so that they can compete in today’s world. It is unbelievably demeaning..."
Her reaction cam came following the airing of the Hardee’s ‘flat bun’ hamburger commercial during a Titans football game.
The commercial is not airing in the Chattanooga market. Brad Haley, the Executive Vice President of Marketing for Hardees says it is up to the local franchisee on whether or not to air the ad in their particular market. Haley says their national ad campaigns target 18-34 year old males and are often designed to be "a little edgy." He says however that some markets consider ad too edgy and elect not to use them.
Dale Forrester is with Delray Advertising, the company that handles advertising for Hardees in the Chattanooga market.
"We didn't feel (that commercial) was appropriate for our market," said Forrester. "Our feeling is that some ads that might appeal in other markets, but we're a little bit more conservative. We are one of the more conservative markets in the country... we do our best to promote our products without offending our customers."
Haley said in the markets where the ad is airing, it is only scheduled to run after 10 p.m. It will run for a total of three weeks.
In Nashville Wiman said, “I am asking that all of our members and the public who care about children and their education to contact their local Hardee’s to voice their concerns."
The TEA Web site, www.teateachers.org, has contact information for those who want to write or call corporate officials.
Wiman said, “Tennessee’s teachers work hard every day to educate the children of this state. Working with parents, we strive to teach and reinforce good behavior so that all students have the chance to learn in a safe and orderly environment, and we strongly resent those who flaunt their disregard for both teachers and the children we teach.”
Hardee's posted a news release on its website on August 28 with the release of the new advertisement entitled, "Survey Ranks Nicole Richie and Ryan Seacrest's Buns Flattest in Hollywood."
It goes on to say, "Move over J. Lo! Beginning today, Carl's Jr.® and Hardee's® celebrate flat buns with a new TV commercial to promote a hot new burger made with flat buns: the Patty Melt Burger(TM). To help bring attention to the unheralded allure of flatness, Carl's Jr. and Hardee's conducted an internet survey of 2,000 Americans to rank the flattest female and male celebrity buns. At the top of the flattest female buns list were Nicole Richie and former Carl's Jr. and Hardee's commercial star, Paris Hilton. Ryan Seacrest and David Letterman rounded out (or should we say "flattened out") the top of the male category. Other contenders for the flattest bun crown included Kate Moss, Kiera Knightley, Jackie Chan and Johnny Depp."
Haley admit is is "an edgy news release."
He said, "for a young market, often the edgier the better."
I’ve hated the last few sets of Hardee’s commercials.
Their commercials are in very bad taste...but I’m not crazy about the teachers unions either!
Reminds me of Van Halen’s “Hot for Teacher” video. I don’t recall any outrage back then...
Umm.. hold on, I need to go watch the youtube clip a few more times before I decide.
“showing a young teacher dancing on top of her desk while boys in the class rap about her body in order to sell hamburgers! . . . It is unbelievably demeaning...”
I’m shocked and appalled. This is disgusting!
How far do I have to drive to get to a market where I can watch this?
Guess I won’t be trying the new patty melts.
Have they looked at how many teachers have been busted for sexually assaulting their students over the last 2 or 3 years? ...and those who got away with it?
Get over it teachers, far better institutions in our society get attacked in a far worse way than this.
What’s the beef? Doesn’t gated community cable filter this stuff out?
BTW, is the teacher "hot"?
Outrageous! (Does she date?)
I already did and it is horrible.
Bravo Foxtrot Delta
(Okay, my bun, I mean my pun, was a bit flat)
If you are making a video, a play, etc, you can put in it whatever you want. However, it’s just plain stupid to make a commercial that offends.
It’s not a matter of “principle”. You are selling a product. Alienating a market is dumb.
Years ago, I complained about a commercial. I got a letter from the company stating they were pulling it from that time slot. It was, I think, the Breck commercial where the woman was washing her hair in the airplane restroom and screaming like she was having an orgasm. They were showing it during rugrats.
I thought the Paris Hilton Carl’s Jr. commercial was in bad taste. Watched it 20 times before making my decision.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmgntNjRs4E&mode=related&search=
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