Farmer John has extended its brand from Dodger Stadium out to the parking lot.

At the Dodgers’ home opener April 13, the meat packing company and ad agency Mendelsohn Zien in West Los Angeles unveiled the Farmer John Tailgater, a giant truck that serves free samples of smoked sausages in the parking lot before games.

At the games, the Tailgater will promote the sale of Farmer John smoked sausages, a new offering this season. Previously, only Dodger Dogs were sold in the stadium. The campaign will include TV ads and in-store signage in addition to the truck.

Ian Lavallee, senior product manager at Farmer John, said the company eventually plans to extend its brand beyond meat into “a line of grilling and tailgating products.” The Tailgater will be the main advertising medium for promoting these new products, which are still in development.

“This truck will go to a long list of marquee events, including games, championships, charitable events, sales calls to local grocers, tailgating opportunities at the Coliseum and Rose Bowl, and an Arizona Cardinals game,” Lavallee told the Business Journal. “But the Dodgers game was its first public appearance.”

The truck features a grill-inspired paint job on the outside and a VIP lounge on the inside with leather couches, big-screen TVs, a sports score ticker, video games and a faux turf floor.

Lavallee declined to reveal the cost of the Tailgater, but said it was pretty low because Farmer John already owned the truck, which they used for store openings and employee events. He expects the Tailgater will have a productive marketing life of five years.

Based in Los Angeles, Farmer John is a subsidiary of Hormel Foods Corp.

For Mendelsohn Zien, The Hakuhodo GMD (Global Marking Design) Summit was kind of like the Olympics of advertising. Representatives of the Los Angeles agency traveled to Tokyo for the final round of competition, and they brought home the Gold.

Agencies from around the globe entered their best work in the Hakuhodo awards. From nearly 80 submissions, 10 finalists were invited to the Summit. Mendelsohn Zien was chosen for burger campaigns: the Carl’s Jr. “Big Carl” and Hardee’s “Little Thickburger.”

One of MZ’s creative directors, Mick DiMaria, and Carl’s Jr. group account director, Cathy Kellner-Diaz, presented case studies and led a Q & A before judges and other finalists. “They noted the core ideas of the ads were compelling,” DiMaria said, “that they worked across many forms of media and created a unique dialogue with consumers.”

The spots spoke to the judges, too. So much so that Mendelsohn Zien walked away with the 2009 Hakuhodo Gold award.

With 60,000+ entries each year, the ADDY Awards is the world's largest and arguably toughest advertising competition. It honors creative excellence in all forms of advertising, submitted by agencies of all sizes from around the globe. The not-for-profit AAF conducts the ADDYs through its 200 member advertising clubs and 15 districts. It’s the only creative awards program administered by the advertising industry for the industry.

Brian Morris is the second most interesting man on Earth, “after the Dos Equis dude,” he says.

That’s one reason we’re thrilled to have him as chief operating officer at Mendelsohn Zien. We also like that he’s a well-known, respected veteran in advertising and marketing, with a wealth of experience working on client and agency sides of the business.

Before joining MZ in February, he was CEO and co-owner of Motta + Morris, an ad agency specializing in real-estate marketing. For two years prior to that, he was president of marketing at IMI, a luxury real-estate sales and marketing company in Greenville, South Carolina. He led that team to closings of 176 properties throughout the U.S., Central America and the Caribbean, resulting in nearly $50 million in sales. Many know Brian from his 27-year stay at Los Angeles’ Dailey &  Associates, where he rose to CEO and was instrumental in growing the number of employees and profits. Accounts under his supervision included Honda motorcycles, Nestle, E&J Gallo, Dole Foods, Del Monte, Safeway grocery stores, ConocoPhillips, Robert Mondavi Winery, Princess Cruises, the California State Lottery and several others.

Brian’s also won his share of awards. In 1996, while at Dailey, he was named Leader of the Year by the Western States Advertising Agencies Association (joining the ranks of industry notables Jay Chiat and Hal Riney). Not long after, he received a Silver Medal from the American Advertising Federation for his contributions to “advertising, creative excellence and responsibility in areas of social concern.”

Brian grew up in Connecticut, but earned his degrees from Southern Methodist University in Dallas and Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Currently, he and his wife Cindy live in Hermosa Beach, California. Their daughter Perry works in advertising and son Ben is studying graphic design in Los Angeles. If Brian’s not in his office, he’s most likely on the golf course, or at the beach, a concert or sporting event.

What’s his plan this time around? “I’ve admired Mendelsohn Zien for a long time. The agency’s creativity is so compelling; it produces some of the most effective and talked about work in the West. I’m excited to help drive the agency to the next level. We’re going to focus on growth, and take full advantage of the tremendous ambition and talent that’s here.”

Top that, Dos Equis dude.

What does Mad Money’s Jim Cramer have to say about CKE stock? “Stick with it!” In a recent episode of the CNBC program, Cramer stated that CKE has two things he likes to see in restaurant stocks: room to improve and room to expand.

Andy Puzder, CEO of CKE Restaurants, showed up for a one on one with Cramer, discussing the restaurants’ growth plans over the next two years and how he won’t compromise quality to generate short-term sales.

When Cramer brought up “sexy ad campaigns,” Puzder replied that the impactful TV spots “work great,” especially for the fast-food chains’ target audience of “young hungry guys.”

Then came the taste test. Cramer, who’d never tried a Carl’s Jr. Thickburger, took a big bite and made a closing comment: “This is a darn good burger and it’s been a darn good stock for us.”

Recently, talk-show host Ellen Degeneres asked viewers to send in “their favorite funny commercials.” The Hardee’s Biscuit Holes spot, brainchild of Mendelsohn Zien Advertising, was first to be aired among the comical picks.

Better-for-you is a common enough marketing angle every January as consumers turn to dieting for the new year. But this year, it seems to be the ad strategy of choice for quick-service brands, with chains such as Carl's Jr. and Taco Bell touting their healthier offerings.

While better-for-you is one of the top trends the National Restaurant Association has predicted for 2010, for QSRs the strategy is less about trends and more about grabbing market share.

Taco Bell president Greg Creed said in the annual investor update, that the company was deliberately focusing on better-for-you offerings to boost its image with consumers in that category. And Andrew Puzder, CEO of Carl's Jr. parent company CKE Restaurants Inc., told investors on the company's last quarterly earnings call that healthful menu choices would be an important component in its strategy to bring same-store sales back into the positive.

Carl's Jr. hit first, launching its new premium entrée salads Dec. 16 with sexy ads featuring reality TV star Kim Kardashian. Taco Bell launched its Drive-Thru Diet campaign, highlighting its existing better-for-you Fresco menu line, Dec. 29 with a real-life customer spokeswoman.

Both campaigns appear to be targeting women, although there are components in each that no doubt appeal to the chains' target demographic of 18-to 34-year-old males. But are these campaigns resonating with consumers? If media impressions and online buzz are indicators, Carl's Jr.'s campaign certainly is.

According to Carl's Jr., through Jan. 8, interest in Kardashian's salad commercial had received 258 million media impressions. That's more than three times the quantity achieved by any one of the chain's previous celebrity commercial stars — including Padma Lakshmi and Paris Hilton among others — and more than all of them combined.

The YouTube post of the salad commercial has garnered nearly 1.9 million views, landing it on Visible Measures viral video chart in the No. 2 spot for the week of Jan. 4. In contrast, Taco Bell's Drive-Thru Diet infomercial has received slightly more than 6,000 views on its YouTube channel. Its YouTube post of the TV ad has garnered more than 45,000 views.

Online buzz is more positive for the Carl's Jr. campaign too, according to digital marketing agency Zeta Interactive. It's Zeta Buzz tool mines the online media to determine the buzz about a given subject. Zeta Buzz has found that both brands saw increased buzz from the time of their campaign launches.

Carl’s Jr.'s overall buzz went up 59 percent since the launch of the salad promotion campaign while the brand's tonal ranking increased as well. In the period since the salad promo launched, the chain's buzz has increased to 84 percent positive — a 10 percent positive tone increase in just under a one-month period, according to Zeta Buzz data.

Taco Bell, which has drawn scorn from nutritionists for labeling its campaign a diet, saw its buzz go up 44 percent since the launch of its campaign. But the tone was much more negative, dropping 6 percent to only a 67 percent positive tone.

Dual-demographic strategy

Sales of the Carl Jr. salads are positive too, said Brad Haley, executive vice president of marketing for Carl's Jr. and Hardee's restaurants. He attributes their success to both the product and the campaign.

The new products themselves and the use of Kardashian as a spokesperson is speaking to both men and women. More women without a doubt, but we’re seeing a lot of men buy our salads," he said.

The salads are performing better now in their wider introduction than they did in test, which is a testament to both the combination of the Kardashian-themed advertising and to the mindset of consumers post-holidays, Haley said.

Haley said that including women in its target audience on this campaign is an important component of its success, but it's not a new strategy. While the chain is known for its sexy burger commercials, the chain has a longstanding trend of occasionally broadening its marketing focus and food offerings to strategically target women — whether salads or charbroiled chicken sandwiches.

"We have always periodically done so," Haley said. "Our focus remains on young hungry guys and big delicious burgers, but once every 12 to 24 months or so, we’ll have a program or a promotion specifically geared to our women customers."

Haley also pointed out that nearly half of the Carl's Jr. customer base is women, because it's not just guys who want premium burgers. Both young men and young women poll as preferring a burger and fries for their quick meal choices, he said.

Despite that data, fewer women were actually buying the burgers, Puzder told investors on the company's latest quarterly earnings call — thus, the healthful items component of its strategy.

Carl's Jr. is seeing salad sales go to about 60-65 percent women, and 35-40 percent men, but it varies by the kind of salad, Haley said. The Cranberry Walnut Salad sells more to women, and the somewhat heartier Southwest Chicken Salad appeals more to men.

Kardashian helps with her dual-gender appeal, Haley said. Men find her beautiful and women find her fascinating, not only because of her celebrity status but because they can relate to her as a woman who isn’t a waif-thin model who’s publicly talked about her battles with weight.

"Kim is someone that appeals to both men and women as we hope our salads will,” Haley said.

Branding success

That dual-demographic strategy can have a positive impact on branding, said marketing expert Peter Geisheker, CEO of The Geisheker Group Marketing Firm, as long as the celebrity is believable.

"Using celebrities to target both young men and young women can be smart as long as the celebrity is popular and believable among both young men and women," he said. "Do both men and women view the celebrity as somebody 'cool' that they admire?"

Greisheker also suggests it's wise to use a celebrity that the public believes might actually eat at that restaurant, and in this case Kardashian might more closely fit that bill than previous Carl's Jr. ad celebrities like Lakshmi or Hilton.

Denise Lee Yohn, brand as business consulting partner and owner of Denise Lee Yohn Inc., disagrees. She said the new campaign is a schizophrenic brand move, especially since the "overly sexual theme of the ad is clearly an appeal to men.

"Carl's Jr. has carved out a distinctive brand position with offerings and advertising squarely targeted to young males," she said. "Many of their past communications seem intentionally alienating to the female market —  e.g., Paris Hilton car wash, mechanical bull rider, etc. — and they’ve experienced a great deal of success with this approach. To now switch gears and try to also target women just doesn’t make sense."

* Christa Hoyland contributed to this story.

On the January 6 edition of The O’Reilly Factor, host Bill O’Reilly says that Carl’s Jr. “does provocative ads solely to get attention, and they get it.” As they did that evening on the Fox News show, when clips from Carl’s Jr.’s sexy TV ads were rolled. Created by Mendelsohn Zien Advertising, the commercials feature celebs Kim Kardashian, Paris Hilton and Audrina Patridge savoring Carl’s Jr. food. After viewing the Kardashian’s Cranberry Apple Walnut Grilled Chicken Salad ad, O’Reilly posed the question: “Can’t you get electrocuted by eating a salad in the bathtub?” We’re not sure, but you might get hot.

On the January 5, 2010, Jay Leno Show, Kim Kardashian talked about getting into bed … with Carl’s Jr. During the interview, the fast-food chain’s most recent spokes-siren talks about butt-blasting cardio and bed picnics. Then, Leno and audience get a look at her racy new Carl’s Jr. TV ad, another creation of Los Angeles-based Mendelsohn/Zien Advertising. In it, the reality star gets hot and heavy in the boudoir—and bath—with a premium Cranberry Apple Walnut Grilled Chicken Salad. “Salads are more appropriate with my fitness lifestyle right now,” she says. It’s a tasty mouthful.

Just in time for New Year’s resolutions, Carl’s Jr. — known more for burger and fries packing nearly 1,000 calories — is launching a new line of grilled chicken salads, fronted by reality star Kim Kardashian.

Ads from Mendelsohn|Zien break next week on the fast-food company’s Facebook page and YouTube channel, and on television across Carl’s Jr. Western markets. The pitch also includes a digital component, from 72andSunny: Kardashian will host The Ultimate Salad Lunch Date, a live event on Jan. 13, where consumers can chat with her via a Webcam. To do so they’ve had to buy one of the new salads between Dec. 30 and Jan. 12, which gives them the access code. (No code is required to watch the streaming video lunch.) There is also an augmented reality element, with a 3D Kardashian inviting consumers to lunch as she blows kisses, twirls and strikes poses.

“For the better part of the last two years, we’ve had a digital component but this is more of an extensive one because of the popularity of Kim Kardashian on the Web,” said Brad Haley, evp of marketing for Carl’s Jr. “She’s already a big celebrity in the digital space and has a huge social media following.” (For instance, Kardashian has 2.7 million followers on Twitter and 562,000 fans on Facebook.)

Carl’s Jr., of course, is no stranger to the erotic use of au courant female celebrities, having used Paris Hilton, cook show reality host Padma Lakshmi and The Hills star, Audrina Patridge, to seductively eat the chain’s burgers in commercials. The use of Kardashian to make salads sexy comes as Carl’s Jr. — with its base in the battered California economy — reaches out to attract female consumers. The chain has taken a hit even as fast-food competitors register gains in the recession. Through Nov. 30, same-store sales have fallen 5.7 percent compared to the year-ago period.

“Guys love Kim and women really like her because she’s a real woman with curves,” said Justin Hooper, a creative director at M|Z, who worked on the spots.

In recent years, Carl’s Jr. has been more associated with unapologetically caloric products like the Kentucky Bourbon Six Dollar Burger (970 calories) and Chili Cheese Fries (990 calories) than health-conscious fare. Still, the company said it was the first fast-food operator to offer a salad bar in 1974 and later introduced premium packaged salads like a Charbroiled Grilled Chicken Salad in 1988. That menu item has been updated in the current launch, along with a Southwestern version and one including items like cranberries, apples, walnuts and feta, which weighs in at comparatively low 450 calories. The launch of the salads now — usually a popular summer offering — fits with the chain’s contrarian philosophy, as evidenced in its premium pricing strategy and embrace of rich menu items. Meanwhile, competitors discount and bow to pressure from health advocates.

“In the first quarter, after everyone is tapped out after spending for Christmas, fast-food chains traditionally discount, even more than usual given this economy,” said Haley. “This is a zig while they zag. Rather than compete with a 99-cent double cheeseburger like everyone else, we’re going out with a premium-priced entrée [which costs] close to five dollars.”

Recently, Kardashian, also a spokesperson for diet aid Quick Trim, has been dieting and tweeting regularly about it. In the TV spot, the buxom negligee-clad reality star is shown in one of her “favorite pastimes” — having a “bed picnic” while salivating over a Carl Jr.’s salad before getting “all messy” and taking a bubble bath.

“What makes this different is that it’s a salad, which is not associated with indulgence,” said Mick DiMaria, another M|Z creative director who co-created the commercial. “We make it indulgent. Kim is pretty much advertising gold.”