Hardee's Ad Angers Tennessee Teachers

WTVC ^ | September 5, 2007

[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."

[Eagle Eye]

But the teacher is definitely NOT GUILTY!

[kAcknor]

It was. I did too. (A few more times now) ;)

In all this hype has ANYONE noticed that the "Hardees" commercial that this thread is all abort is actually also a Carl's Jr piece and not Hardees?

Newspaper got it wrong.

[DTogo]

Not in my day... :(

[CHEE]

The TEA Web site, www.teateachers.org, has contact information for those who want to write or call corporate officials

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Can’t say the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag in school, can’t allow prayer in school, can’t celebrate our cultural holidays in school, promote the theory that we are monkeys in school, can’t discipline bad behavior in school, than what is left but to dance on the desk? What say the union concentrate in the education of our children. Teach them about us (or US) and teach them to learn.

[Mr Rogers]

I despise the teachers unions (which are mostly about money for administrators and nothing to do with helping real teachers), but teachers have enough trouble without this garbage.

And boys don’t need any encouragement to treat girls (or women) as sex objects only. I’ve got too many daughters to find this sort of thing ‘edgy’.

[VOA]

You can always tell a Hardee’s commercial immediately.
It is either about sex or sloppy eating or a combination.

The name may be Hardees. But the motive force are the parent company
that also owns "Carl's Jr.".
The original owner of Carl's Jr. is probably spinning in his
grave over the trashy commercial campaigns run by his successors.
(I heard he was a pretty conservative guy)

[raygunfan]

if they made this an ad with gay or lesbian overtones....they would have been praised up one side and down the other...

oh the horror, celebrating a sexy woman...what will we do????

[television is just wrong]

I know. it is funny.

[uglybiker]

I thought the Paris Hilton Carl’s Jr. commercial was in bad taste.

Nah. This one is in bad taste!