By B.L. Ochman-

The trend in online fast food advertising is toward the slightly salacious, and relatively disgusting.

Social media component? Other than a really lame try by KFC: none. Long-term strategy? None. Gimmicks: galore.

Since I'm sure someone other than teenage boys eats in fast food restaurants, I have to wonder - yet again - what are these ad agencies (and their clients) thinking? Or not thinking, as the case may be.

Carl's Jr Milkshake
Carl's Jr ad for a new orange milkshake did not make me want to drink one.

As a bovomaniac vegetarian, it actually made me feel really bad for the cows, being mauled by these two young men, who are enjoying rubbing themselves on the cows just a little too much.

White Castle
Oddly, since I thought hamburgers were made of dead cows, a person in a pig suit is doing a suggestive dance (well, as suggestive as a person in a pig suit can be) and then squirts bar-b-que sauce all over itself and some customers.

"What do you crave?" asks the female voice.
"Vegetables!" say I!

KFC - successfully unthinking
KFC wants us to Unthink and dance while eating chicken. Sorry, but chewing chicken parts while dancing is kinda gross, even if they are grilled instead of fried.

They're also having a KFC Unthink Grilled Dance Off - which has received all of four video entries in a month. And only the one with the baby is even cute.

Yet, there are 688 videos in search results for "KFC c"hicken day" and 659 under KFC free chicken. Apparently, KFC's failed free chicken promotion with Oprah left a bad taste in a lot of people's mouths. As one headline puts it, "REthink KFC!
 
None of these ads were cheap to produce. None of them have a strategy that's likely to outlive their gimmicks. And none of them make me hungry. How about you?