Time to pull the plug on Jack

Yesterday I fielded my second text-messaged offer in a week for free food from Jack in the Box. Clearly the chain is missing the leadership of its orb-headed mascot/spokesman/founder, Jack Box, who’s near death after being hit by a bus. I, for one, am pining for his return. Anything to stop the yuck-yuck campaign from continuing for one more day.

I’ve been laughing along since Day One, but the joke is getting a little old. Yet I fear it’ll be milked for a few more weeks. I’m really worried the chain will replace HangInThereJack.com, the website that tracks Jack’s dire state of health, with JackInRehab.com, JackInLawsuit.com, and JackSeeksWorksComp.com.

Then again, it might be better if they did. Jack’s in a coma. There’s just not that much action to the campaign anymore. The notion may be funny, but I’m not going to watch a cam of a mascot lying in bed. Nor did I fall out of my chair in hilarity when they posted an X-ray of a huge, perfectly round head. One of the more notable restaurant campaigns of recent years is turning into the joke a drunk uncle tells incessantly at a family wedding. After awhile, you just nod.

The considerable talents behind the campaign should’ve considered more twists and turns. For instance, there are mild suggestions that Jack’s assistant, Barbara, may have done more for Jack while he was healthy than maintain his calendar. She seems to be at odds with Mrs. Box. It would’ve been a good detour to have both women unpleasantly surprised to find a mysterious female visitor one day at Jack’s bedside—a tart, clearly, and one with a square head. She could’ve made remarks about Jack resting his large refreshment on her noggin.

Instead, the campaign is getting a little stale and strained. I hate to say it, but it may be time to pull the plug on Jack.