Wendy’s ‘Square’s the Beef’ campaign tweaks famous slogan

Here’s the beef.

Wendy’s campaign for the NCAA March Madness basketball tournament is built on twists on its nostalgic slogan “Where’s the Beef?” delivered by longtime endorser and former NBA star Reggie Miller.

A new commercial shows Miller cheering on the Wendy’s crew as they promote the restaurant’s iconic square hamburgers, exclaiming “there’s the beef!” and later, “square’s the beef!” The campaign comes from agencies VMLY&R, Spark Foundry, The Marketing Arm and Ketchum.

The “Square’s the Beef,” campaign is meant to remind consumers to “look for the square” at Wendy’s for burgers made from “fresh, never frozen,” beef the brand said.

First used in a 1984 Wendy’s commercial, “Where’s the Beef?” became a meme that permeated the culture. The phrase was repeated in the 1984 Democratic primaries, and on episodes of "The Simpsons" and "Saturday Night Live." Ad Age named it one of the top 10 ad slogans of the 20th Century.

Wendy’s revival of the phrase began earlier this week at the Daytona 500, during which Wendy’s sponsored a car with a Dave’s Double cheeseburger on the hood and ran a variety of other promotions for its square burgers at the event. Carl Loredo, Wendy's chief marketing officer, said then it was “time to revisit the power of the past with a fresh marketing take to connect with our customers and continue to celebrate our proven track record of delivering the freshest, hottest and juiciest hamburgers for our fans.”

About the March Madness effort he said, "our fans will see the square and taste the difference throughout our month-long activations and lineup of delicious digital deals. 

Wendy’s has been a sponsor of the NCAA Tournament since 2017. Last year Miller starred in ads promoting its breakfast offerings.