KIDS THESE DAYS: Carl’s Jr. commercial is disrespectful to teachers

STEVE SMITH

I like cheeseburgers. But about a year ago, I made some changes in my diet that included limiting my cheeseburger intake.

Now, when I treat myself to a cheeseburger, I go out of my way to avoid patronizing Carl’s Jr. restaurants.

The reason is simple: I don’t like their advertising campaigns. And that’s probably OK with them because a 52-year-old father of two married for 20 years is not their target audience.

From the ads Carl’s Jr. has presented over the past couple of years, it seems their target audience is a simple-minded male about 16 to 25 years old. This male is shallow, limited and a slob.

Recently, Carl’s Jr. ran a new ad. This one took place inside a high school classroom where the young, attractive teacher proceeded to strut her stuff on her desk and on the classroom floor while the boys in the class go berserk.

The commercial caused so much negative reaction that Carl’s Jr. stopped running it. But these days, thanks to YouTube and e-mail, the commercial will live on. Getting your customer base to pass on your commercial message to like-minded prospects is called “viral marketing,” and it works.

It’s only a guess, but I’d wager a Whopper that the folks at Carl’s Jr. saw this ad as a complete victory, regardless ? of the reaction.

If people liked it, that of course translates into sales of the new product. If people didn’t like it, there is still value in an increased “noise level,” also known as “buzz,” for the chain that is extremely beneficial to them.

Frankly, I’m not concerned about whether the ad sells more burgers or whether it hurts or helps the Carl’s Jr. brand.

What concerns me is the portrayal of the teacher. It is disrespectful and completely out of line. Unfortunately, however, it is a perfect mirror image of the way most of the nation feels about our educators.

Yeah, perhaps this is another “back in my day” rant but there is no arguing that more and more teachers do not command the authority in the classroom that is essential to their success.

The disrespect, the treatment of them as a commodity and the lack of substantive appreciation for what they do had no better example than the Newport-Mesa school board’s attempt earlier this year during salary negotiations to give teachers a crumb instead of a slice.

After teachers relied on years of promises and pats on the head, the board showed how little it really cared about the people doing one of the most important jobs in the country. Fortunately, enough pressure was put on the board and the teachers got a decent raise.

Restoring respect to the teaching profession will not be easy. Parents can help by supporting teachers at home. Parents, should you disagree with a teacher or question any method or curriculum, discuss it with your teacher in private, not in front of your child.

Keeping those discussions private will prevent your child from seeing anything other than a united front between you and your child’s teachers.

Parents can also reward children when their homework is completed and turned in on time. Not completing and turning in homework results in the withholding of certain perks, such as dinner.

Just kidding.

Teachers can help themselves, too, by dressing in a manner more consistent with someone in a position of authority. This is not a guess — studies have shown that people are much more likely to behave a certain way based on the appearance of the person who is supposed to be in charge.

During this transition, there is one more thing we can all do. We can help stop the broadcasting of trashy commercials by eating at restaurants other than Carl’s Jr.

STEVE SMITH is a Costa Mesa resident and a freelance writer. Readers may leave a message for him on the Daily Pilot hotline at (714) 966-4664 or send story ideas to dailypilot@latimes.com.