CARPINTERIA, Calif. — Carl's Jr. and Hardee's have re-launched their Web sites with an updated look, expanded interactivity and new customer loyalty program, the companies announced.
The sites, carlsjr.com and hardees.com, feature an enhanced "young, hungry guy's" dream bachelor pad, starting with a virtual, 3D living room landing page and a large, flat-screen TV playing Carl's Jr. and Hardee's latest television ads. A library of some of the brands' historical ads is also accessible.
Site visitors can now select a virtual roommate as well as earn points playing the "Burger Slayer" loyalty program game to customize the look of the living room and eventually unlock "hottie" roommate options and other brand freebies.
Brad Haley, executive vice president of marketing for Carl's Jr. and Hardee's restaurants, said the redesigned sites were a response to other brands' close copying of the original sites.
"We wanted to regain our leadership with revamped sites that take the virtual living room environment and the overall brand interaction potential to a whole new level," Haley said.
The living room landing page has been updated with 3D modeling as well as real-time day-to-night transitions, with the scene outside the window and the Carl's Jr. or Hardee's meal on the coffee table reflecting the time of day visitors log on.
In conjunction with the launch of these new sites, CKE Restaurants has partnered with Lionsgate for a promotion in support of their recent theatrical release "My Best Friend's Girl." Consumers visiting the Carl's Jr. or Hardee's sites can click on the movie poster in their virtual living room and enter the "Shave an Eyebrow for Love" contest for the chance to win $1,000. The site will serve as a platform to promote other such partnerships in the future. Movie clips are able to be viewed on the site's flat-screen TV.
The site also contains nutritional or restaurant location information. The information can be customized for visitors wanting to gather nutritional information for each menu item or an entire meal.
The sites were designed by the digital division of Mendelsohn|Zien Advertising, formerly operated as digital design and marketing firm, Spacedog Interactive. Mendelsohn|Zien is the Los Angeles-based agency known for creating the brands' edgy, iconic advertising campaigns.
ExitReality created the 3D experience, and visitors can download the ExitReality 3D component to convert their profile pages on social network platforms, such as MySpace and Facebook, into 3D environments.
