Which 1984 campaign made the slogan “Where’s the beef?” famous for Wendy’s?

Wendy’s made “Where’s the Beef?” famous through its 1984 campaign questioning the amount of beef in competitors’ hamburgers.

The commercial featured actress Clara Peller examining a large bun containing a comparatively small patty. Her repeated question became a national catchphrase and was soon used in political commentary, journalism, and ordinary conversation. The advertising agency Dancer Fitzgerald Sample created the campaign for Wendy’s.

The line is sometimes remembered as a generic question about hamburgers, but its advertising purpose was comparative: Wendy’s wanted viewers to believe its square patties contained more usable beef. Peller later appeared in a Prego spaghetti-sauce commercial, which led Wendy’s to end its relationship with her. The campaign demonstrates how a product-specific line can escape advertising and become part of popular language.