Just think, it’s 1985. Ronald Reagan is in the White House, and Mikhail Gorbachev runs the Soviet Union. Gas was a little over a dollar per gallon. “New Coke” was available in the store.
Another iconic moment in the mid-1980s was the hamburger war. Fast food restaurants competed ruthlessly to provide the best hamburger to their customers. Wendy’s was a prominent competitor in this battle.
The famous burger joint put out a commercial that promoted the freshness of its ingredients. To illustrate the importance of choosing the best, Wendy’s drove the point home with current events.
They juxtaposed the freedom of choice against only having one option with a hilarious demonstration: a Soviet fashion show. Citizens of the U.S.S.R. are all stuffed into the audience to watch a less than impressive fashion show.
The announcer introduces each of the season’s fashions from daywear to nightwear to swimwear. The funniest part is that all of the outfits are the same drab gray dress every time.
Wendy’s points out that choosing the best hamburger in town was better than having no choice at all. Whoever ran their advertising department really knew how to drive the point home!
This ad is about as iconic as “The Color Purple” movie playing in theaters for only $2.50 per ticket. What a time to live in the 1980s with hamburger places competing to have you as a customer!
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