Jack In The Box Commercials: Inappropriately Awesome

I’m not one to pay attention to the marketing efforts of fast food chains. The idea of watching a perfectly round cow patty soar through the air and fall onto a fluffy, starch-filled bun, which is then topped off with a pile of sizzling pig fat while families smile and cheer over the wonderfulness that is corporate America, makes my stomach turn.

And while I don’t enjoy watching cheap juicy meat squish between the teeth of an actor during their 60 seconds of fame, I do enjoy some juicy controversy. The fast food chain Jack in the Box fills that very indulgent need of mine.

The Jack in the Box franchise dates back to 1951, when Robert O. Peterson opened a hamburger stand in San Diego offering drive-through service, calling it Jack in the Box. It was designed and marketed to be a more modern and unique take on the fast food industry, though by the early 1970s, the company, who by now had over 180 locations, began to franchise. The restaurants soon lost sight of their personal style, becoming more of a McDonald’s type of chain.

The company eventually got a hold of themselves however, and by the 1980s, they were reestablishing themselves as a brand that wouldn’t market towards the typical family. They took a series of steps towards new directions in their marketing strategies, but have settled on a very successful one titled “Jack’s Back,” an advertising campaign that started in 1995 that has become the longest ongoing campaign in the fast food industry.

This fascinating campaign, which has won numerous awards, has stirred up a lot of controversy along the way for being not-so family friendly and oh-so-inappropriate. Though I’m still against the whole fast food deal, I can’t help but laugh and nod my head in approval of the totally off-the-grid snarky remarks and commentary of the Jack in the Box commercials. Every time I see one, I think “This really isn’t appropriate and I like it.” With that said, here are three of my favorite Jack in the Box commercials:

1. The “Jack Visits” Commercial:

The commercial, which advertises new breakfast items, also manages to throw in a little erectile disfunction joke. Nope, it’s not okay to relate breakfast food to Viagra, but thanks for making me drop my morning coffee.

2. The “Hot Mess” Super Bowl Commercial:

Jack is seen watching a video of his own hit from the late 80’s called “Hot Mess,” which is set to the tune of Heartbreaker by Pat Benatar. The commercial cuts from the band to a young woman in the front row of the show who begins to take her top off. Before we can see anything, the clip cuts back to present day Jack, who explains that’s how he met his mother. I’m pretty sure every parent with a stick up their behind got really mad at this one. Good job Jack.

3. The “Stoner Dude” Commercial:

A stoner, or, some young dude who is clearly on something, asks the drive-through attendee for 99 tacos for two cents, when the bold lettering on the menu board clearly says two tacos for 99 cents. The guy is so far gone with his squinty eyes and ear-to-ear grin that he reminds me of Spicoli from Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Driving under the influence? Illegal substances? Not okay. Still love it.

It’s pretty risky to put controversial commercials out there knowing full well that there will be some serious backlash coming your way, but the Jack in the Box franchise doesn’t seem to care in the least and I admire them for that. If you’re going to have gross, fast food, then you might as well become your own mockery by not taking any of it too seriously.