“What I would say is Wendy’s has always been about this,” Carl Loredo, VP of brand and advertising, said “Going back to 1969, we’ve always been different. Candidly, that’s why we’ve always had square burgers made with fresh, never frozen beef. It’s why we have a Frosty, not a milkshake.”

Loredo highlighted that even early Wendy’s television commercials took a unique approach with their “Where’s the beef?” catchphrase: “There was always this tone, right? It was about confidence, it was about fun, and in a lot of ways being positive.”

The central theme at the heart of the burger chain’s branding strategy is that people at Wendy’s are serious about the food, but not themselves. Loredo said the roots of that approach are traced back to the portrayal of Wendy herself, a lighthearted, pigtailed kid.