Carl Jr’s “Superstar” Burger: A Journey of Stardom, Sexual Drives and Power that doesn’t start with a Single Burger

Original & Revised Ad

Thesis: Carl Jr's Superstar Burger ad provides ludicrous claims as it dismisses the facts that consuming the unhealthy product cannot make one into a thin and attractive celebrity, not a stimulant for sexual drives, but rather a stimulant for bacteria related illnesses, and is not a true measurement of a man’s social and personal power.

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This advertisement affirms that consuming their burger will make them appear as glamorous, thin, and attractive like their favorite celebrity, seen through celebrity influence in endorsements, but this impossible because of the unhealthiness of the burger. The ad utilizes the influential power of celebrity Paris Hilton to thrust the claim of obtainable stardom to the readers. Paris Hilton, an American socialite and heiress, may be the most popular figure in pop culture as her line of work includes a wide range of variety such as media personality, model, singer, author, fashion designer and actress. Nevertheless, she is an example of the modern phenomenon of the “celebutant”', the celebrity who rises to fame not because of their talent or work but because of their inherited wealth and controversial lifestyle. Her fame is what Carl’s jr emphasized, for their goal is to create a new meaning for the product from the celebrity’s persona, which is fueled by the types of roles they play in society as well as how they are portrayed in the media. At a first glance upon the ad, a reader will see a sense of stardom from the way Paris is dressed in her jeweled bathing suit and diamond studded accessories. She stands so confidently with her eyes closed holding the burger in her left hand. In a selection titled “ The Impact on Advertising Effectiveness and Credibility” from the International Journal of Advertising by journalist David Strutton, he examines the relationship between celebrity endorser source effects and its effectiveness in advertising. Strutton argues, that the importance of celebrity endorsers, however, does not lie in the fact that they are used by firms who wish to increase revenue, but in how these celebrities add value to a company, brand or product. Celebrities add value through the process of meaning transfer. Since the advertise burger is named the “Super Star,” Carl’s Jr's advertising department also wanted a super star to represent their product. By using her as a model for this ad, “a consumer identifies with a celebrity, and he/she purchases the product in the hope of claiming some of these transferred meanings for their own lives” (Strutton, 210), but this in reality cannot be found as this product is a contradiction, for the nutritional value of the burger makes gaining countless pounds is more realistic than gaining fame and all the comes with it. This ad promises its consumers that if you eat their burger, you too can also be glamorous and confident like Paris, yet this unimaginable because of the harsh nutritional facts of the Superstar burger. According, to Carl Jr’s nutritional values chart on their website, the Superstar burger alone contains slightly over 920 calories. A normal healthy diet has a calorie intake of 2200. Let say if someone eats 3 meals that consist of a Superstar burger with a large order of fries and a 12oz Coke, 475 and 160 calories respectively. That’s a massive 4665 calories, which is more than double the recommended diet. This ad claim that with the consumption of the Superstar burger, it will bring the consumer nearer to the fantasy of obtaining a superstar-like appearance, but it’s terribly high calorie intake become a enormous roadblock in realizing the unreal goal.