• by Karlene Lukovitz  @KLmarketdaily, March 12, 2009

The folks who brought us a swimsuited Paris Hilton provocatively soaping a Bentley, then chomping into a Spicy Burger ... and that "high school teacher" gyrating in class as students chanted a "flat buns" rap ... are now promoting a new burger flavor by showing a "surgeon" in mid-operation confessing that he loves bourbon to the point that he "thinks about it constantly."

Skip to the "reveal" in the doctors' locker area, and it turns out that what he's actually knocking back between surgeries is a Carl's Kentucky Bourbon Burger.

When it starts airing next week, the 15-second TV spot, from long-time Carl's ad agency Mendelsohn/Zien, will hardly be a shock to the system for the 18- to-34-year-old males who are the chain's core customer base.

In fact, it might be somewhat tame by the QSR's usual standards. "Compared to some of their other recent commercials, this is mild," says branding consultant Laura Ries. "Carl's has been using its advertising and products--like the 1,410-calorie Monster Thickburger--to push the envelope for years."

"Edgy--sometimes with humor, sometimes with sexuality--is what appeals to the 'young, hungry guy' who's our target customer," sums up Brad Haley, EVP of marketing for Carl's Jr. and sibling Hardee's.

Carl's introduces a new limited-time promotion item every two to three months, and nearly all are supported by similarly edgy campaigns. Most TV creative includes the chain's "signature" element: audible crunching as someone bites into the burger du jour. "We pioneered the crunching sounds years ago," says Haley. "Some find it annoying, but activating another sense or creating another appetite appeal" with the sound has proven highly effective, he says.

In addition to television, the Bourbon Burger campaign includes the usual regional radio and print coupon support, video posting on YouTube and online banner ads. A Bourbon Burger microsite will offer "fun, interactive components" and, due to the nature of this item, there will be branded coasters and other media in bars.

But it will be tough to beat the attention drawn by the Paris Hilton spot. The "mainstream" TV version of that one sparked protests from various groups that considered it sexist or overly erotic for prime time. Meanwhile, an even hotter Internet-only version drew so much traffic that its microsite crashed.