---
title: "QSR Magazine: For Carl's Jr. and Hardee's, It's Divide and Conquer"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/9d1540b2-bd30-4f71-9ffe-eec10c726232
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/qsr-magazine-for-carls-jr-and-hardees-its-divide-and-conquer-2706329
category: "Burger"
industry: "Restaurants"
segment: "Burger"
published: 2018-04-19T22:17:26.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T03:02:07.184Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/a79d1ba51be8706e51ac3a95c127f8161345.jpg
---

# QSR Magazine: For Carl's Jr. and Hardee's, It's Divide and Conquer

**TL;DR:** Carl's Jr. and Hardee's are differentiating themselves with distinct marketing efforts. The brands, owned by CKE Restaurants, will target different audiences, with Carl's Jr. focusing on younger consumers and Hardee's on those with an outdoor affinity.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2018-04-19. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/qsr-magazine-for-carls-jr-and-hardees-its-divide-and-conquer-2706329).*

## Story

Carl's Jr. and Hardee's are taking steps to further differentiate themselves from one another. According to a recent article in QSR Magazine , after years of shared marketing efforts, the brands are working to make their identities distinct in the minds of consumers.

“When you define a brand and you say it's about earnestness, authenticity, and pride, and you understand your consumers, your dayparts, and know who you are, then you can create communication and build assets,” said Jason Marker, CEO at CKE Restaurants, Inc., parent company for both brands.

In the last ten years, the brand's have been united through a shared color scheme and smiling star icon. While the logos are not expected to change, the company is will differentiate the brands through positioning efforts. According to the CMO, campaigns for Carl's Jr. will be aimed at younger, more digitally savvy consumers while content for Hardee's will be targeted more towards an audience with an affinity for the outdoors.

The company has begun this strategy with its recent ads for both companies. Carl's Jr. debuted a flashy ad starring Matthew McConaughey while Hardee's focused on ordinary people spending time together while enjoying a meal.

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- Restaurants (sector)
- QSR Magazine (publication)
- Carl's Jr. (company)
- Hardee's (company)
- CKE Restaurants (company)
- marketing efforts (topic)
- brand differentiation (topic)
- target audience (topic)

---
Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/qsr-magazine-for-carls-jr-and-hardees-its-divide-and-conquer-2706329). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/9d1540b2-bd30-4f71-9ffe-eec10c726232).