Back in 1984, Wendy's came up with one of the most memorable ad campaigns of all time. The phrase "Where's The Beef" caught on like wildfire . . . the connotation being that a Wendy's Hamburger was a comparatively bigger value than that of their competition.
The slogan is a definite part of our pop culture . . . it is still part of present day slang as a saying for questioning the substance of any proposal, idea or product. It was also used by Walter Mondale in the 1984 Democratic presidential primary campaign to critique the insubstantial proposals of one of his opponents, Gary Hart.
The theme of the ad campaign was a disgruntled old lady who trotted into a non-Wendy's fast food restaurant, bought a hamburger with a "big bun," and griped, "Where's the Beef?"
The disgruntled old lady was Clara Peller, a retired Chicago manicurist. She clearly represents Andy Warhol's "15 minutes of fame" adage as she went from obscurity to star after being discovered at the age of 81 . . . she passed away from natural causes in 1987 . . .
Her uniquely husky voice and quirky mannerisms caught the attention of an ad agency working on an advertising campaign for the then struggling Wendy's fast food chain. The rest is history . . .
The advertising campaign was a huge success, finding Clara herself on a number of tie-in products . . . coffee mugs, t-shirts, posters, puzzles, bubble gum, a "Where's The Beef" game and on and on . . .
A single was even released based on "Where's The Beef"
Here are some of the television commercials . . . seems like yesterday!
A bit more nostalgia . . .
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