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Prepared for Carl's Jr. + Hardee's · March 2026
PurePlay
Creative Intelligence That Drives Every Media Decision
Carl's Jr. · Hardee's
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In The News
AWARD
Convergent TV Award Winner
AI-Powered Creative Excellence. Beat out Amazon and Netflix.
CASE STUDY
Sunglass Hut: +17% Above Benchmarks
Holiday CTV campaign beat foot traffic benchmarks by 17%. Agentic optimization delivered +8 points of incremental lift vs. multimodal alone.
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
AI's Industry Inflection Point
Leadership published with 10 industry partners on AI reshaping programmatic advertising.
Brands Winning With PurePlay
Florida Lottery Sunglass Hut LensCrafters NASCAR ShopRite Ecoversity Crossmedia mHealth Wegovy PMP Brand Brand Brand Brand Brand
Convergent TV Award Winner
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The Problem
QSR Brands Spending Billions on CTV.
Most of It Serving the Wrong Message.
No Creative Intelligence
Your LTO spots, value campaigns, and brand creative all communicate differently. Nobody connects those signals to media.
McDonald's knows exactly what their "Grimace Shake" spot says. They use that signal to find the right impression. You're still guessing.
No Context Awareness
A "Double The Beef" spot running inside diet content isn't just wasted — it's brand erosion.
The algorithm doesn't know what your ad says. Every tonal mismatch erodes the bold, craveable positioning you've spent years building.
No Outcome Accountability
Drive-thru visits are the metric. But your CTV buy optimizes for reach, not restaurant traffic.
Your competitors' AI optimizes every impression toward a propensity to visit. You're still reading last Thursday's completion rate report.
The root cause
Carl's Jr. and Hardee's invest in premium creative quality. But the media algorithm treats a premium Angus beef spot the same as a $1 banner ad — because it can't read what the creative says. Until now.
PurePlay AIThe Problem
What if every bid, every audience segment, every inventory decision
was informed by what your creative actually communicates — and what McDonald's, Burger King, and Wendy's are leaving on the table?
What if creative intelligence and competitive intelligence drove every restaurant visit in real time?
PurePlay AIThe Vision
The Complete System
Four Layers. One Closed Loop.
Nobody else has more than one of these. PurePlay connects all four, powered by an always-on outcome signal.
Layer 1 · Foundation
Multimodal Landscape Analysis
Creative Intelligence · Competitive
Analyzes every frame, word, sound, and CTA of your creative. Maps QSR competitor SOV — McDonald's, BK, Wendy's — across DMAs and publishers. Surfaces what Carl's Jr. and Hardee's are saying vs. what the category is missing.
Layer 2 · Optional Enhancement
Overlay Engine
AI-Generated CTV Overlays
Generates designer-quality CTV overlays driven by gap analysis. Fills messaging gaps — convenience, delivery, urgency — with targeted variants per audience, geo, and daypart.
Layer 3
Context Harmony
Creative-Context Matching
Maps your creative signal to content environments where bold, craveable messaging resonates hardest. Computes a Harmony Score across ALL CTV inventory — not just FAST channels.
Layer 4 · Live
Impression Optimizer
Conversion Propensity Bidding
Evaluates each impression on drive-thru visit propensity. Bids aggressively on high-harmony impressions. Learns from every visit signal.
Always-On Outcomes Loop
Live measurement feeds every layer. Every impression optimizes toward real restaurant visits.
1P Data Cuebiq Adelaide Attain PurpleLab
PurePlay AIPlatform Architecture
The Deliverable
The Pulse Playbook
Uncover What Your Data Has Been Hiding
Pre-Flight
Before your campaign
Creative signal analysis
QSR competitive landscape audit
Audience strategy & bid targets
Know exactly where the QSR opportunity is before spending a dollar.
Mid-Flight
While your campaign is live
Real-time performance signals
Optimization recommendations
Competitive shift alerts
Catch every signal before McDonald's does.
Post-Flight
After your campaign closes
Full foot traffic attribution
Measurement validation
Learnings that feed forward
Every campaign makes the next one smarter.
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Layer 1 · Multimodal Landscape Analysis
See Every Signal. Own Every Opportunity.
We read 60+ dimensions from your creative. We map the QSR competitive landscape across every DMA and publisher. One layer drives every decision downstream.
What Your Creative Communicates
Visual Signals
Food photography · color energy · appetite appeal
Audio Signals
Voiceover energy · music drive · sizzle & texture
Transcript Signals
LTO themes · value messaging · brand narrative
CTA Signals
Urgency level · delivery vs. dine-in · visit intent
60+ dimensions. Scored and indexed against McDonald's, BK, and Jack In the Box.
+
Where The QSR Opportunity Lives
Category
QSR · Los Angeles DMA CTV ▼
Competitive SOV by Publisher
McDonald's
Burger King
Jack In the Box
Pluto TV
FAST
31%
12%
2%
45%
Heavy
Tubi
FAST
24%
9%
2%
35%
Heavy
Hulu
Prem
14%
5%
1%
20%
Moderate
Food Network
Prem
2%
1%
<1%
3%
← Open
Discovery+
Prem
1%
<1%
<1%
2%
← Open
McDonald's and BK dominate FAST (Pluto, Tubi) in the LA DMA. Jack In the Box has minimal CTV presence. Food-adjacent premium streaming — Food Network, Discovery+ — carries near-zero QSR spend. Illustrative data — full LA DMA analysis available on request.
Attack
QSR SOV <5%. Enter first.
Defend
Heavy competitor presence. Counter with differentiation.
Neutral
Monitor for emerging opportunity.
Publisher Whitespace
McDonald's and BK own FAST in the LA DMA. Jack In the Box has a fraction of their CTV footprint. Food-adjacent premium streaming carries the audience with near-zero competitor spend. That's where Carl's Jr. and Hardee's enter first.
PurePlay AIMultimodal Landscape Analysis
Layer 2 · Overlay Engine
Every Creative Reveals Its Signal.
Gaps Identified. Overlays Generated.
Creative intelligence + competitive market data feeds the bid algorithm — scored to a propensity for restaurant visits before a single impression is placed.
Creative Signals
Visual · Audio · Transcript · CTA
60+ scored dimensions
+
QSR Market & Publisher Signals
Competitive SOV · Publisher inventory
DMA whitespace · Daypart data
→
Bid Algorithm
Impression-level modifiers
Gap-targeted creative variants
→
Propensity Score
Visit likelihood scored
before bid is placed
01
Score the Creative
Score your spot + McDonald's, BK, and Wendy's spots across 60+ dimensions. Know what Carl's Jr. and Hardee's are saying and what the QSR category is leaving unsaid.
02
Find the Gap
Cross-reference creative gaps with DMA-level competitive SOV. Where is the QSR category weak? Which publisher whitespace exists in your key markets?
03
Generate the Overlay
Auto-generate HD overlays from a designer-built template system. Gap-specific messaging — delivery, urgency, LTO — deployed at programmatic scale.
04
Deliver by Signal
Deploy by audience, DMA, daypart, and competitive trigger. Carl's Jr. and Hardee's messaging fills the whitespace competitors left behind.
Optional Enhancement
Not every spot needs an overlay. But every QSR brand benefits from knowing which impressions would respond to one — and having the capability when lunch rush, LTO launch, or a competitor move calls for it.
PurePlay AIOverlay Engine
Overlay Engine · Built for Carl's Jr.
L-Bar · "Double The Beef" · Gaps Identified & Filled
L-Bar · Brand Identity + Convenience & Delivery Gap Fill
Bold brand identity (over-index 155) with convenience + delivery overlay filling the gap (index 45). "100% Angus Beef" reinforces the base spot. Animated burger build deployed across sports and late-night environments.
95
SCORE
Bid Aggressively
Sports on ESPN+ & Fubo
Evening drive · 18-49 · Los Angeles · Las Vegas · Phoenix DMAs
Energy: 9 Bold: 8 Indulgence: 9
Sports audiences are primed for bold, indulgent messaging. Carl's Jr. creative signals align perfectly. Zero QSR competition on Fubo — we enter first.
Creative Gap
Convenience: 45
Overlay Fills
Delivery + Urgency
PurePlay AIOverlay Engine · Carl's Jr.
Layer 3 · Context Harmony
Your Creative Has a Frequency.
We Find the Content That Amplifies It.
Everyone Else
Analyze the content
Ignore the creative
FAST channels only
No impression optimization
No overlay capability
No competitive intelligence
Context Harmony
01
Starts with the creative, not the content
Pulse Playbook scores your video across 60+ dimensions — including all four signal types — before a single impression serves.
02
Works across ALL CTV inventory
Uses publisher identity, content category, and program metadata. Not limited to FAST or any single data provider.
03
Matches creative + overlays to content environments
Computes a Harmony Score for every impression. Right ad, right modification, right content moment.
04
Feeds directly into the impression optimizer
High harmony = bid aggressively. Low harmony = pass. The loop closes on every single impression.
Harmony in Action · Carl's Jr. + Hardee's
95
Sports on ESPN+ & Fubo
Bold energy signals amplified by sports viewing. Peak hunger window. LA, LV, Phoenix. Zero QSR competition on Fubo.
92
Food & Cooking on Food Network
Direct food-adjacent context. Appetite primed, category competitive pressure near zero.
88
Late Night on Peacock
Irreverent tone aligns with Hardee's brand voice. Late-night hunger trigger. Strong delivery order intent.
14
Health, Wellness & Diet Content
Tonal mismatch. Bold indulgent messaging conflicts with health-focused content environment. Brand erosion risk.
Optimizer passes.
PurePlay AIContext Harmony
Layer 4 · Impression Optimizer
Every Impression Has a Propensity Score.
Connected to data partners' identity signals, every impression is scored for its likelihood to drive a restaurant visit — before the bid is placed.
01
Identity Signal Ingestion
Connected to LiveRamp, Experian, TransUnion, and Nielsen identity graphs — real QSR purchase intent and behavioral signals at the impression level.
02
Propensity Scoring
Every available impression is scored in real time. High visit propensity = bid up. Low propensity = pass. The algorithm self-improves with every campaign cycle.
03
Outcome Optimization
Define your KPI — foot traffic, delivery orders, or sales lift. We optimize every impression toward it, not just completion rates.
Supported Outcomes
Foot Traffic
Drive-thru & dine-in visits
Delivery Orders
DoorDash & Uber Eats intent
Sales Lift
LTO & promo purchase lift
Attention
Active view quality
Brand Lift
Awareness & recall
Custom KPI
Your metric, optimized
The result: every impression has a higher propensity to drive a visit to Carl's Jr. or Hardee's. Not just reach — hungry reach.
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Premium Inventory
Where Premium is Actually Premium
Direct Publisher Relationships · Premium Environments · Best-in-Class Brand Safety
Ultra Premium
Netflix Hulu YouTube HBO Max Peacock Disney+
Niche
HGTV Food Network AMC ESPN Discovery+ TNT
Core
Samsung Tubi Pluto TV Roku Fubo
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Proven Results · Third-Party Validated
Outcomes Clients Can Take to the CFO.
Foot Traffic
+17%
above benchmark
+9 pts
agentic vs. multimodal-only lift
Multimodal analysis only → +9% above benchmark
Full agentic optimization → +17% above benchmark
Measured by
ROAS
$10.94
Return on Ad Spend
#1
programmatic partner across all channels
Propensity-scored against purchase-intent signals, optimized toward in-store basket completion
Ranked #1 performing partner vs. all programmatic channels on ROAS
Measured by
PurePlay AICase Studies
The Next Step
Let Us Score Your Creative and Show You
What McDonald's Already Knows
No commitment
No integration required
Intelligence you've never seen on your creative
Request Your Pulse Playbook
We'll run a complimentary Pulse Playbook on your Carl's Jr. and Hardee's creative. You'll see both spots scored across 60+ dimensions, your QSR competitive gaps identified, your DMA whitespace mapped, and your highest-propensity audience segments surfaced. Ready in days, not weeks.
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