72andSunny Discuss Rebranding Carl's Jr. and Axe

Last week US fast-food giant Carl’s Jr./Hardee’s commenced a big change-up of their marketing strategy spearheaded by the online film, The Return of Carl’s Hardee Sr.

The campaign, which was created and overseen by 72andSunny, featured a total overhaul of the brand’s image - which included redesigned restaurants, packaging, in-store menus, employee uniforms and the logos [below].

Having previously collaborated on a similar repositioning with Axe/Lynx (following their move from BBH), the agency was once again tasked with shifting the focus of the brand and their commercials away from 'women in bathing suits' to a more product-centric image.

shots caught up with 72andSunny’s global CEO Matt Jarvis to find out more about the campaigns and the challenges agency's face when repositioning a brand.

What was the brief for the Carl’s Jr spot?

The brief was to elevate the unique high quality of Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s ingredients and food in a relevant way to a new generation of young hungry guys.

How daunting was the rebrand as it involved so many aspects? (new uniforms, packaging etc.)

The totality of the rebrand is one of the things that made this opportunity so magnetic to us. So, not daunting. Just exciting. It’s a true brand transformation, which to speaks to the impact junkie that resides in all of us here at 72andSunny.

How much freedom did Axe & Carl’s Jr/Hardee’s. give you?

In the case of Axe and Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s, the work was developed in complete partnership with our clients. Without their bravery and marketing savvy, none of this happens. The only governors on our collective creativity were market realities and relevance to our target audiences. In our industry, that’s as close to complete freedom as you get (or at least as much as one should get!).

What are the challenges in repositioning a brand while staying true to the brands itself?

The challenge is that you leave behind the thing that people love and they move on. In both the case of Axe and Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s, we remained committed to our audiences - we simply are choosing to connect with them in ways that are both authentic to the product, but also relevant to how they look at the world, and what’s important to them. There will always be laggards who long for ‘the way it was’  but there’s far more opportunity moving forward and engaging in a more modern cultural conversation.

Both Carl’s Jr/Hardee’s and Axe have moved away from the overtly sexualised content, to a more mature approach do you see this as an industry-wide shift?

I can’t comment on the industry, but as a company that helps clients navigate the modern culture landscape and seize opportunities, 72andSunny believes both of these campaigns strike a tone that will have greater resonance and drive marketplace performance.