Earlier this year, Yum Brands Pizza Hut launched it's new pasta offering by setting up a fake restaurant named Tuscani, serving their new pasta and then video taping the diner's reactions when they told them it was pasta from Pizza Hut. Superadgrunts see one of the ads below:
CKE's Carl's Jr and Hardees have this week launched a new campaign with the same the same fake restaurant idea. The ad campaign "Fake Restaurant" fooled consumers into thinking that the expensive burger they just ate was worth $14 or $20 when it actually came from the Carl's Jr. and Hardee's chains. Just like the Pizza Hut campaign, it captures on hidden camera the experiences of customers who believed they were eating expensive burgers at a fancy restaurant. Mendelsohn|Zien created the concept and a series of 30-second spots started airing Tuesday in Hardee's markets, and will begin airing in Carl's Jr. markets on June 22.
And not to be outdone, before even Pizza Hut, there were the Burger King "Freak Out" spots. Granted they didn't have the fake restaurant concept, but did use the candid camera idea as well.
We've secretly replaced the creatives columbian marching powder with Folger's crystals. Lets see if it impacts their concept ideas.
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PermalinkIsn't this kind of like what bottled-water companies do in real life: take water from municipal water sources, bottle it, and sell it at a premium?
It's Aquafina, I think, that gets its water from Latham, NY, USA, just 20 minutes up the road from my house.
John B.
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PermalinkIn the UK, if the bottle says 'spring water' then it can be tap water. If it's 'mineral water' it must be proper stuff, bottled at source. Either way it's a rip off.
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PermalinkSame in Sweden. Beware of the "spring water" fakes.
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PermalinkBeing shown to be plain old Thames Water was the main thing that killed Coca-Cola's attempt to introduce Dasani bottled water in the UK. Well, that and the follow-up announcement that it was loaded with bromates because they didn't bother adapting their filtration system to UK conditions.
Their proposed advertising slogan of "water with spunk" wouldn't have helped much, either.
Drinking water tends to make me feel sick, but I find that fizzy water is kinder to the tummy, and tastes better. I've got a bottle of Sainsbury's Caledonian Sparkling in the fridge, and take a small amount to bed with me to sip at night.
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PermalinkYep, I remember that ; Coke has now hired Lexis PR to start a recovery strategy before Dasani goes down the drain.
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PermalinkI think Dasani lasted about a month. Just enough time to get laughed at hard enough that it's not worth trying to come back.
When the cat was let out of the bag about it being tap water, everybody was reminded of the well-known "Only Fools and Horses" episode where Del-Boy tried to sell bottled tap water as "Peckham Spring".
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PermalinkAfter Dasani they went for the real deal and do Malvern Still Mineral Water and sparkling. this isn't making some locals happy either though.
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