Explosive Response to Paris Hilton Ad Crashes Carl's Jr. Web Site

"Build it and they will come," may have originally referred to the creation of a baseball diamond, but Carl's Jr.(R) restaurants discovered Friday that it also applied to a swimsuit-clad, car-washing, burger-eating Paris Hilton web site.

On Thursday, Carl's Jr. launched a special "mini" site touting the Paris Hilton Spicy BBQ Six Dollar Burger(TM) ad that had created a buzz weeks ago. Rumors abounded that the spot was "too hot" for network television. In truth, the ad began airing last Thursday, and a hotter internet-only version was posted on the mini site, www.spicyparis.com. Visitors flooded the site, which was unequipped to handle the unexpected traffic volume, and the host servers crashed at 1:14 p.m. Friday.

"It was a mixed blessing," said Brad Haley, executive vice president of marketing for Carl's Jr. "We wanted to create a Paris Hilton site that would attract visitors, and we certainly achieved that objective. Unfortunately, we just weren't prepared for the influx of traffic, and disappointed a number of visitors. It turned out that Paris was too hot for our servers."

In the 30-second spot, Hilton is shown eating The Spicy BBQ Six Dollar Burger while washing a Bentley in her swimsuit. On May 19, both Carl's Jr. and Hardee's(R) launched newly redesigned web sites showcasing the Paris Hilton mini site featuring the ad, along with behind-the-scenes footage and still shots from the filming of the commercial.

Haley said that all the linked sites - www.spicyparis.com, www.carlsjr.com and www.hardees.com -- were up and running again by 5:00 p.m. Friday, and the system is now supported by more robust servers to ensure no further interruptions to visitors' online experiences.

Carl's Jr. is a wholly owned subsidiary of CKE Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:CKR) of Carpinteria, Calif. As of the fiscal year ended Jan. 31, 2005, CKE Restaurants, Inc., through its subsidiaries, had a total of 3,166 franchised or company-owned restaurants in 44 states and in 11 countries, including 1,014 Carl's Jr. restaurants, 2,034 Hardee's restaurants and 101 La Salsa Fresh Mexican Grill restaurants.

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