McDonald’s launches Angus, Carl’s and Hardee’s take umbrage. An article in the WSJ yesterday chronicles the marketing efforts of these three as they attempt to garner a larger share of the large burger market. Feeling that the McD angus was a copycat of CKE’s (Carl Karcher Enterprises, parent company of both Carl’s Jr and Hardees), Carl’s took aim on Wednesday to introduce the Big Carl, a direct snub at the Big Mac. The Big Carl contains more than two times as much beer as the Big Mac, and at a lower price point. The Big Carl will be backed by a television campaign that will poke fun at both the competitor’s sandwich and their marketing methods.
In September, Carl’s Jr. will have a campaign to issue refunds to people who claim they like Big Mac’s better. They will also employ a guerrilla marketing strategy of having a mobile unit outside McDonald’s in Los Angeles and offering to trade diners their Big Macs for Big Carl’s.
Hardees continues to push its Thickburger line, which is also “Angus” beef. The largest thickburger is the Monster entry, at 1420 calories, compared to McD’s bacon and cheese Angus, which is a mere 790 calories.
