Hardee's Beefs Up Alliance With Michael Jordan's Alma Mater

September 2, 2009: Quick-serve restaurant Hardee’s said it would expand its marketing alliance with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC, and become an official sponsor of the 100th anniversary of Carolina basketball. Hardee's already is an official sponsor of the Tar Heels basketball team, along with such companies as Wachovia, Kroger, Domino's Pizza and Harris Teter.

Hardee's will support the anniversary with a Hardee’s blue logo, specially adapted to the school's "Carolina Blue" color, that will be featured on signage and video boards within the Dean E. Smith Center during the 2009-2010 basketball season. Hardee’s will also include the 100th Carolina basketball logo on product packaging and in marketing display materials in the more than 200 Hardee’s restaurants operated throughout North Carolina. Among other activations, special discount coupons for Hardee’s menu items to be handed out to Tar Heel fans to redeem at restaurants throughout North Carolina.

Hardee's-UNC promotion from 2008-09.As a sponsor of the 100th anniversary of Carolina basketball, which began in 1910-11, Hardee’s will participate in the UNC Legends Weekend on Feb. 12 during which UNC basketball players from several decades will return for a special weekend of activities to celebrate the 100th year. Although an official attendee list has not been released, UNC men's basketball alumni include Michael Jordan, Vince Carter, Billy Cunningham, Rasheed Wallace, James Worthy, Jerry Stackhouse, Charlie Scott, Sam Perkins, Bob McAdoo, Mitch Kupshak, Antawan Jamison, Tyler Hansbrough, Phil Ford, Larry Brown and current head coach Roy Williams. UNC has won five NCAA men's Division I basketball titles and enters the 2009-10 season as the defending NCAA champions.

“We are very excited to celebrate the 100th milestone of Carolina basketball with this partnership of two ‘winners’ born here in North Carolina,” Jerry Allsbrook, CMO for Boddie-Noell Enterprises, the largest Hardee’s franchisee both in North Carolina and the U.S., said in a statement. "Like Hardee’s, Boddie-Noell was founded in North Carolina and has a long-time relationship of support with the University."

Last October, Hardee’s began sports marketing partnerships with four universities to become official sponsors of athletic programs at each school: UNC, North Carolina State University, the University of Virginia and Virginia Tech. The sponsorship agreements with each school cover different sports and sports venues. Financial terms were not disclosed.

This past July, Boddie-Noell Enterprises, which owns nearly 350 Hardee's in four states, refused to run ads for Hardee's biscuits, which Boddie-Noell considered overtly suggestive. The ads asked customers to help name the item, offering such suggestions as "iced B-holes," and also showed customers doing taste tests being asked to choose between the "A-holes" and the "B-holes." Boddie-Noell also objected to another marketing campaign this past summer in which Hardee's sent four young women dressed as French maids around the country to promote French Dip Thickburgers.

Hardee's Food Systems is a wholly owned subsidiary of CKE Restaurants, Carpinteria, Calif. As of the end of its fiscal 2010 first quarter, CKE Restaurants, through its subsidiaries, had a total of 3,133 franchised, licensed or company-operated restaurants in 42 states and in 14 countries, including 1,205 Carl's Jr. restaurants and 1,915 Hardee's restaurants. Back to Home Page