Ad Track: Studio 54 seats up for auction; Hardee's goes big

ByABC News
May 18, 2008, 10:54 PM

— -- Paging Mr. Warhol. You, too, can link your name with infamous 1970s disco Studio 54, which is now a theater. To raise money, owner Roundabout Theatre Co. is auctioning naming rights to individual seats at $1,200 up to $15,000 for prime orchestra locations. Plaques will go on chair backs, and 116 of the 996 seats have been sold. For a virtual tour, go to Studio54seats.org, a site by digital ad shop Continuity.

Costly chow.

As Taco Bell hypes 79-cent eats and McDonald's peddles $1 Double Cheeseburgers, Hardee's could be accused of going wacko for rolling out one of its costliest burgers. The Prime Rib Thickburger a -pound Black Angus beef patty topped with thinly sliced prime rib, horseradish sauce, Swiss cheese and grilled onions will set you back $4.49.

What gives? "We've never been ones to follow fast-food herd mentality," says Brad Haley, Hardee's executive vice president of marketing. "While other places are hopping on the value bandwagon," he says, Hardee's will keep selling "big, delicious burgers."

Big describes not just the size and price: Each burger weighs in at 780 calories and 48 grams of fat.

A healthy slice.

For all its fat faults, at least pizza has redeeming qualities such as the calcium in cheese. Now, Papa John's will ratchet the health quotient up with its May 26 launch of a whole-wheat crust. One large slice will have 2.5 times the fiber of a large slice of its regular cheese pizza. The 40 grams of whole grains are 80% of the daily recommended amount, says founder John Schnatter.

Offering Papa John's healthy competition: Pizza Hut said this month said it will roll out "The Natural" with a multigrain crust and sauce from organic tomatoes.

Move over, Carrie Bradshaw.

The upcoming Sex and the City movie isn't the only summer chick flick getting marketer attention. Unilever's Ponds will promote Mamma Mia! The Movie, based on the Broadway show built on songs from pop group ABBA. Among the tie-ins is an interactive ad for a June issue of People magazine. It has a Ponds cleansing towelette sample, plus an audio chip that plays a snippet of the film theme and can record 10 seconds of audio.