Hardee's

Hardee's and Carl's Jr. are better known for their This Is Why You're Fat-esque monstrosities, but the chains' parent company, CKE Restaurants, has begun trending the other way. Today, the two chains will become the first fast-food establishments to introduce a turkey burger as a permanent menu item.

Each of the four new Charbroiled Turkey Burgers will clock in at under 500 calories — as opposed to, say, Carl's Jr.'s Double Six Dollar Burger, which tallies up to be 1,522 calories and 110 grams of fat. What's more, the product launch will include a marketing campaign with Men's Health magazine and the bestselling book series Eat This, Not That — as well as advertisements featuring the former Miss Turkey in a bikini.

It would seem there's no such thing as moderation in fast food. These days, it's either all (see: the KFC Double Down and BK Stuffed Steakhouse) or next to nothing (Subway's low-fat egg white breakfast sandwiches). Do you agree?

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The marketing masterminds behind Carl's Jr. know that sex sells: this year alone, the fast food franchise has featured lascivious spots starring seductresses such as Padma Lakshmi and Audrina Partridge suggestively scarfing down burgers. And CKE Restaurants, the parent company of Carl's Jr. and Hardee's, won't stop there. To kick off its new French Dip Thickburger, Hardee's has brought on four feisty "French Maids" who will embark on a national tour, visiting stores and posing for photos. The ladies — appropriately named Sophie, Antoinette, Gabrielle, and Isabelle — hope to lure customers with short skirts, fishnet stockings, and plunging necklines. Consumers will be able to snap pictures with the maids and later locate the images online through a Hardee's microsite, French Me. With their risqué campaigns, the two eateries have certainly gotten media attention. But as they continue down a racy path, are the chains poised to become the fast food equivalent of Hooters? Is the company's marketing approach slick — or edging on vulgar?

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If you were shocked by Audrina Partridge and Padma Lakshmi's lascivious Carl's Jr. commercials, then wait until you see what the company's up to now. Hardee's, the sister brand to Carl's Jr., has debuted "Biscuit Holes," deep-fried, doughnut hole-shaped biscuits that are iced with cinnamon sugar. To come up with a more creative moniker, however, Hardee's is asking customers for help through a new campaign titled "Name Our Holes." Customers can submit their name ideas on the campaign's microsite, NameOurHoles.com, where they can also view other entries.

In the TV spot below, consumers offer up names ranging from "hole munchers" to "puffy nuts." I don't know about you, but I think Hardee's is taking toilet humor a little too far — just watching the clip makes me feel kind of dirty. In your mind, is the campaign funny and successful, or simply gross and immature?

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