May 25, 2005 -- (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) -- A Web site distributing Paris Hilton's racy television advertisement for burger chain Carl's Jr. was down for four hours as Internet surfers rushed to see the scantily-clad Hotel heiress soaked in suds. The 30-second commercial, which features Hilton washing a Bentley and chomping on Carl's Jr.'s Spicy BBQ Burger in a revealing black swimsuit, hit TV airwaves last Thursday.
Carl's Jr., a unit of CKE Restaurants known for its male-friendly ads and monstrous burgers, simultaneously launched a promotional Web site (spicyparis.com) that features a special 60-second version of the ad. A day later, the site crashed and was down for about four hours, says the company.
"It was a mixed blessing," says Carl's Jr.'s executive vice president of marketing, Brad Haley. "It turned out that Paris was too hot for our servers."
The "Simple Life" star created another Internet stir in late 2003 when a homemade sex video featuring Hilton with an ex-boyfriend found its way online. The Carl's Jr. ad, created by Los Angeles-based Mendelsohn Zien Advertising, will also be used to promote CKE's Hardee's hamburger chain in mid-June.
