Classic Brands and Advertising: The 1970s and 1980s
Choose one answer below.
The correct answer is Wendy’s.
Wendy’s used the question to direct attention toward the meat in a hamburger. Its square patties were another way to make that ingredient visible: the corners extended beyond the bun. Both choices gave the chain a recognizable way to present its burgers in a crowded restaurant market.
Television advertising in the 1970s and 1980s often built a campaign around a recurring character or a short promise about a product. A demonstration could suggest absorbency, a restaurant slogan could emphasize choice, and a comic situation could turn a claim about reliability into a story. Packaging and product design contributed to the same message. Changes in a material, a recipe, or the way a product was served gave advertisers something new to explain. Campaigns also had histories of their own. A character might outlast the actor who first played it, and a tune could return decades after its original broadcast. Company archives preserve announcements and accounts of those decisions, although their purpose is to present the brand's own history. Comparing a campaign with the product it promoted helps distinguish the memorable image from the practical claim being made. Looking at the wording and the demonstration separately also shows how an advertisement asks its audience to judge a product.