Carl's Jr. Invites Fans to Create Its Next Ad in $85K Contest

Carl’s Jr. is celebrating its 85th birthday by putting its next commercial in the hands of its fans. The burger chain has launched a U.S. contest that asks participants to submit an original 30- to 60-second video showing their spin on a classic Carl’s Jr. ad. The winner will receive $85,000 — a nod to the brand’s anniversary — and could see their work become an official spot for the company.

The competition, which runs through August 7, encourages entrants to create videos for social media, jingles, or even a full-scale TV-style ad. Submissions must be posted publicly, tag the brand’s official accounts, and use the hashtags #MyCarlsJrAd and #Carls85th. Around August 23, the company will announce 10 finalists who will then enter a head-to-head public voting bracket on Carl’s Jr.’s social channels. The ultimate winner will be chosen based on a mix of audience engagement and scores from an internal selection committee.

Burge Diemer, chief marketing officer at Carl’s Jr., framed the contest as a thank-you to loyal fans: “For 85 years, our fans have been the real stars. As we celebrate this milestone, we wanted to give back in a way that puts our fans and their bold ideas at the center of the moment.”

Why a Burger Chain Known for Racy Ads Is Turning to User-Generated Content

The contest marks a sharp departure from Carl’s Jr.’s long-running advertising playbook. For decades, the chain was synonymous with provocative, celebrity-driven commercials featuring scantily clad models and stars like Paris Hilton. That edgy formula helped it stand out in a crowded fast-food market but also drew criticism and limited its appeal to broader family audiences. By turning to a user-generated contest, the brand is signalling a desire to refresh its image without losing the bold personality it sees as core to its identity.

The format also taps into a well-established social-media trend where brands mine fan creativity for authentic, low-cost content that can generate higher engagement than polished, agency-led work. By letting fans define what a modern Carl’s Jr. ad looks like, the company can gather valuable insight into how its most loyal customers perceive the brand — and potentially land a viral hit with built-in audience investment. The timing of the contest, coming shortly after an AI-generated revival of Paris Hilton in a nostalgic car-wash homage, suggests the brand is experimenting with multiple nostalgia-meets-new-media tactics simultaneously.

What This Contest Means for Fast-Food Marketers

For fast-food and QSR marketers, the Carl’s Jr. contest offers a working example of how to blend user-generated content with brand heritage:

  • The $85,000 prize pool is relatively modest for a national campaign — making this a cost-effective way to generate dozens of potential ads and thousands of social impressions tied to the hashtag campaign.
  • The bracket-style voting phase extends the campaign’s life and keeps the audience engaged beyond a simple submission period, creating sustained social chatter.
  • Marketers with brands that have a strong visual or “personality” legacy could replicate the model, but must ensure clear rules around rights ownership and brand guidelines to avoid off-brand content slipping through.