"There are countless horrible things happening all over the world and horrible people prospering, but we must never allow them to disturb our equanimity or deflect us from our sacred duty to sabotage and annoy them whenever possible." -Auberon Waugh
That's a fine example of an advertising campaign being too successful. The slogan "Where's the beef?" escaped the context of fast food hamburgers and became a catchphrase. It was the equivalent of a brand name becoming a generic (like Cellophane or Bakelite).
But the final nail in the coffin was driven by then-Presidential candidate Walter Mondale, also known as "Mister Charisma," when he sonorously intoned it during a debate... no product could survive such an endorsement, and so Wendy's dropped the campaign.
Incidentally, the woman in the ad, Clara Peller, became a minor celebrity in her own right. She appeared in a cameo in the horror-comedy film The Stuff, shouting "Where's the stuff?"
Stephen: I was reading up on her. Clara was born in Russia when that country was still ruled by a Tsar. And, interestingly, Wendy's terminated her contract when she made a commercial for Prego's pasta sauce in which she says "I finally found the beef!" Wiki bio.
That's a fine example of an advertising campaign being too successful. The slogan "Where's the beef?" escaped the context of fast food hamburgers and became a catchphrase. It was the equivalent of a brand name becoming a generic (like Cellophane or Bakelite).
ReplyDeleteBut the final nail in the coffin was driven by then-Presidential candidate Walter Mondale, also known as "Mister Charisma," when he sonorously intoned it during a debate... no product could survive such an endorsement, and so Wendy's dropped the campaign.
Incidentally, the woman in the ad, Clara Peller, became a minor celebrity in her own right. She appeared in a cameo in the horror-comedy film The Stuff, shouting "Where's the stuff?"
Yeah, a Mondale endorsement would be the kiss of death, huh?
ReplyDeleteStephen: I was reading up on her. Clara was born in Russia when that country was still ruled by a Tsar. And, interestingly, Wendy's terminated her contract when she made a commercial for Prego's pasta sauce in which she says "I finally found the beef!" Wiki bio.
ReplyDelete