Carl's Jr. is putting $85,000 behind a user-generated content push timed to its 85th anniversary, asking fans to create and post original short-form video ads across TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts between July 20 and August 7, 2026.
The contest signals a deliberate bet on creator-driven marketing at a time when QSR brands are increasingly treating their most engaged customers as an extension of their media teams. Rather than commissioning a traditional campaign, the CKE Restaurants Holdings brand is effectively crowdsourcing its creative output — with the winning entry eligible for use across Carl's Jr.'s social channels, website, paid media, and other promotional placements.
How the Contest Works
Entries must run 30 to 60 seconds, tag Carl's Jr.'s social handle, and include the hashtags #MyCarlsJrAd and #Carls85th. Finalists will be announced on or around August 23 and placed into what the brand calls The Carl's Creative Bracket — a head-to-head voting format hosted on Carl's Jr.'s own social channels. The grand prize winner will be selected by a combination of audience engagement and a Carl's Jr. internal panel, with the result announced on or around August 28. One second-place and one third-place winner, along with five runner-ups, will also be recognized.
"For 85 years, our fans have been the real stars," said Burge Diemer, chief marketing officer at Carl's Jr. "This contest is designed to celebrate the people who have helped shape Carl's Jr. into what it is today."
Operator Implications
For franchisees and brand watchers, the move is worth noting beyond the anniversary hook. UGC contests of this scale serve a dual marketing function: they generate a pipeline of authentic content at a fraction of traditional production costs while simultaneously activating loyalty behaviors — app downloads, social follows, and repeat visits — without a direct discount mechanic. Carl's Jr. is also pointing participants toward its My Rewards loyalty program as part of the promotional push, layering in a CRM play alongside the content strategy.
CKE operates more than 3,600 franchised or company-operated restaurants across Carl's Jr. and its sister brand Hardee's, spanning more than 35 international markets and U.S. territories. Carl's Jr. alone operates more than 1,000 U.S. locations with a presence in 24 countries. At that scale, a viral fan-created video carries real media value — and the bracket-style voting format is engineered to extend the content's shelf life well past the submission window.
The contest is open to U.S. residents 18 and older, excluding Florida, New York, and Rhode Island. For operators tracking how legacy QSR chains are approaching restaurant marketing and brand engagement, the Carl's Jr. model — milestone anniversary plus creator economy mechanics plus loyalty integration — represents a playbook increasingly common across the food and beverage industry as chains compete for share of attention as fiercely as share of stomach.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
