Frenzy to View Much-Anticipated TV Commercial Overloads Servers for Hours
“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 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.
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For More Information Visit:
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http://www.ckr.com
http://www.hardees.com
http://www.spicyparis.com
http://www.carlsjr.com
