Ad Track: Veteran Wendy's franchisee gets president's job

— -- If you're finding it tough to keep track of Wendy's various ad campaigns — not to mention who's running the place — you've got company. But it may soon get a bit easier.

J. David Karam, a veteran Wendy's franchisee who led a failed effort to buy the company, was named president last week. Karam, 50, was picked "based on his passion for the brand," says Roland Smith, CEO of Triarc, which recently won the drawn-out bidding for Wendy's. Karam will replace Kerrii Anderson as president when the deal closes later this year.

Wendy's could use some of founder Dave Thomas' old passion. Perhaps that's why it's also bringing back Ken Calwell as chief marketing officer. Calwell, most recently marketing chief at Domino's Pizza, oversaw Wendy's rollout years ago of arguably its last big hit: Garden Sensation Salads. They were widely copied — then one-upped — by McDonald's and Burger King, which both added warm chicken toppings. Wendy's finally relented this summer and added warm chicken, too.

'Inappropriate' and proud of it

Gossip Girl, the CW's TV show about privileged prep school students, has received more than a mouthful of criticism for showing teen drug and alcohol use, as well as for its sexual content. Now, the network has turned those gripes into promotions for the show. New marketing uses racy images of the show's teen stars and plays up quotes from grown-up critics, such as "Mind-blowingly inappropriate" (taken from the website of advocacy group Parents Television Council), and "Every parent's nightmare" (from a 2007 column in the Boston Herald).

PTC spokeswomen Melissa Henson calls the ads a "sad" attempt to "appeal to a teen's rebelliousness."

CW marketing head Rick Haskins, who calls the show a "guilty pleasure," simply sees it as a clever way to let fans know the new season starts Sept. 1. "We're always trying to figure out different ways to reach our viewer," he says. "You always have to be provocative to stand out in the marketplace."