The Kate Upton Hardee's Campaign You Probably Forgot About

Hardee's has been delighting its customers since 1960 with its variety of fast food offerings. According to Money Inc, the brand's most popular item in the 1970s were its specialty biscuits. What really helped was the fact that the biscuits were always made from scratch. Hardee's now has a robust fan following, with over 1,800 eateries in the U.S. and several other branches in 14 different countries. For one Redditor, Hardee's has major nostalgia value. They wrote, "I remember when I was young it was my favorite fast food chain. They also sold fried chicken." Sweet.

Considering the fact that the brand is such a huge sensation, it only makes sense that popular names such as model and actress Kate Upton have associated themselves with the brand. As per Eat This, Not That!, that particular collaboration took place back in 2012 and was a huge hit, encouraging more customers to try new menu items from Hardee's.

According to Eat This, Not That!, Hardee's hit a home run by getting popular model Kate Upton on board in 2012. This was a super memorable commercial that had Upton in a beautiful car and simultaneously relishing a Southwest Patty Melt. The ad was so popular that the brand witnessed an impressive increase in sales: somewhere over 104%. Phew! Also, it got plenty of attention on Twitter and more than 5,000 users spoke about it.

Brad Haley, former chief marketing officer at Carl's Jr. and Hardee's, said back then that this was a powerful move (via QSR Magazine.) He said, "From Paris Hilton to Kim Kardashian, our ads often achieve iconic status thanks to the huge public interest in our stars as well as the way we portray them on film." He added that Upton's rise to fame as a Sports Illustrated model made their collaboration stronger. Haley added, "We just want to thank Kate for all that she has achieved with us and we wish her well in her career, which we expect to be a long and successful one given her talent, looks, and charm."