In the burger wars, Wendy's squares off

Video: You Know When It's Real. Wendy's

"Come on. Let's face it. You know it's real by how we make it. When it's real. You know when it's real."

There's absolutely no reason, when I think about it, that burgers should be round and that round burgers look more real than square ones. But I'm used to round burgers so, unfair as it is for Wendy's, I think square ones look artificial.

Which gets Wendy's off to a bad start when it tries to persuade me, with a side-by-side comparison, that its square burgers are more real than "the other guys" round burgers. It turns out that I, sample of one, don't measure reality by the way burgers are made. More by the way they look.

Putting aside my (hopefully for them) perverse reaction to the hamburger shape, what is the prognosis for Wendy’s new positioning? As pointed out in a recent story in The Wall Street Journal, Wendy's has struggled to define itself since the death in 2002 of Dave Thomas, its founder and former pitchman. Is focusing on freshness and quality and "poking fun at the competition" going to help them revive the brand?

I'm doubtful. Would asking Melinda Lou to pitch be a better bet? What do you think?

Sign of the Times: Pay the Machine

The Day You've Been Waiting For...

Some might say that the timing is a little off what with Starbucks announcing the closure of 600 stores last week. But hope springs eternal and now there's a new coffee shop just down the road for me to visit. Good luck to you intrepid entrepreneurs!

P.S. Don't you hate that when you run out of space when you're writing down an important message on a Pepsi poster

Show me a sign

Two signs I noticed today as I walked through town:

"No brand is perfect without a perfect fitting"
Victoria Clothing, Design and Fitting

"Press 3 repeatedly until you see Sleep Disord____"
Intercom directions for a sleep clinic