• Ad Age , Thursday, September 11, 2008 10:15 AM

A new viral video produced for Wendy's by ad agency Kirshenbaum Bond & Partners shows a head of lettuce devouring a Baconator sandwich (two beef patties, two slices of cheese and six slices of bacon). The work is a stark departure for the chain, which made its name by way of simple homespun ads by the company's founder, Dave Thomas.

So far, results for the film are mixed. Reviews are overwhelmingly positive on MySpace, where it has received 82,000 views, and heavily negative on YouTube, where it picked up about 16,000.

It could be a matter of audience.

Jeff Taylor, a 23-year-old who blogs at MillennialMarketer.com, says he doesn't think the video will track with Gen Y. He notes that it has yet to have any imitators, a key indicator of success. Another thing that could work against it: The finicky demographic hates to be marketed to, and on YouTube, the film is prominently flagged as a viral video for Wendy's. "They don't appreciate campaigns that are overtly 'We're trying to get you to share this video,'" says Taylor.

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