Lil Dicky and Carl’s Jr./Hardee’s
What makes the perfect celebrity-endorsed advertisement? Is it Brad Pitt and George Clooney earning the big international bucks to keep a “pure” American image? Is it Charlotte Hornets basketball player Frank Kaminsky understanding exactly who he is (i.e. a normal white guy) and shilling for JCPenney? Or is it Jon Bon Jovi singing over and over and over and over about the transformative abilities of turning back time for DirecTV? No, it’s none of these.
Instead, a recent challenger has emerged that, upon close examination, appears to be the best, most obvious combination of consumable product and famous person: “professional rapper & value aficionado” Lil Dicky and Carl’s Jr./Hardee’s.
Lil Dicky is Dr. Frankenstein’s monster if Dr. Frankenstein were a group of stoned college sophomores in a decent fraternity. An amalgamation of Dane Cook, Asher Roth and Macklemore, he fits a niche and has found great success within that. His most popular video on YouTube, a music video for “$ave Dat Money”, is up to 47 million views (suggesting he is much more than that niche). He has nearly 200 thousand followers on Twitter. Simply, he as an extremely passionate and loyal fan base.
But, like Cook, Roth and Macklemore before him, he also experiences an enormous amount of criticism. He is generally disliked by his peers (Heems of Das Racist called him “racist trash”) and has few music blogs and critics willing to openly stan for him (VICE said that “Lil Dicky isn’t a white supremacist, he’s just an asshole”). Whether it’s due to the color of his skin, his attitude about his place in rap or maybe even due to the fact that his music primarily appeals to a typically annoying, caustic young group of people, Lil Dicky is as divisive a figure there is.
Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s are not divisive like Lil Dicky (well, we’ll get to that in a second). Certainly, they are revered by a small, passionate group of people who spurn McDonald’s and Burger King for options that are absolutely mindboggling in their girth and propensity to shorten life spans. But, outside of that base, they are detested, or even worse ignored, by a majority of the population. A QSR Magazine study placed Carl’s Jr./Hardee’s 15th in the fast food industry, just behind Chipotle (a company that has actually poisoned a shit ton of people) and just ahead of Little Caesars (a place I don’t think anyone would openly admit to eating at).
Oh, and speaking of that divisiveness: where the criticism and hatred towards Lil Dicky stems from his possibly narrow attitude and feelings about being white in rap, the judgement of Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s is almost unanimously focused on their objectification of women. Seriously, every Super Bowl we know we’re getting two things: a way-too-long halftime performance and a Carl’s Jr. commercials that pisses most people off and makes a few horny for greasy burgers.
So, now to the commercial, wherein these two entities of middling quality and proven popularity unite in an attempt to… What exactly? This commercial is a calculated decision by the folks in the Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s marketing department to steer away from the supermodel women writhing over sports cars with a monstrous double-cheeseburger in their hands. Here, in advertising the latest $4 Real Deal (which, succinctly, includes just way too much fucking food for four dollars), they offer Lil Dicky naked in a bath tub full of loose change, flashing a check worth exactly four dollars (ha) and, of course, making it rain with single bills.
Then, Lil Dicky gets into the food. He bites into a double cheeseburger, a spicy chicken sandwich and some fries, washing it all down with a “drink”. Once fully satiated, the rapper continues with some bizarre displays of thriftiness: he caresses multiple real-life size piggy banks, uses a leaf-blower to blow his one-dollar bills around the set and, then, he finally speaks. “This is so ridiculous.” Yes, it is. “Not as ridiculous as this deal, though. Such good value.” Hard to argue. Final note on the commercial: all of this is soundtracked with the most generic commercial dubstep beat ever. I mean, c’mon, that beat probably costs less than a $4 Real Deal at participating Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s locations.
I joke and make fun but, in all honestly, Lil Dicky and Carl’s Jr./Hardee’s are a perfect match. Lil Dicky most likely won’t ever break into massive, national fame and, if somehow he does, it will almost assuredly be people hating him. So, here’s a chance to shore up his base. There’s no scientific data or proof to back it up, yet it feels like a lot of Carl’s Jr. customers would play Lil Dicky in their cars while ordering.
And, for Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s, it too is a way to shore up their base without degrading and demeaning women. Again, no scientific data or proof to back it up, but the people who watched Paris Hilton on a Carl’s Jr. commercial and whose first thought was “burgers” are people who probably listen to Lil Dicky.
Rarely has there ever been a more perfect union in the world of commercials. You wouldn’t want YG on this: too political. Or any famous, respectable women: see above. You want the famous rapper who you totally believe eats a $4 Real Deal twice a week despite being rich and successful. Congrats, Carl’s Jr./Hardee’s and Lil Dicky, you’re ahead of everyone else.
