CKE Restaurants, parent of the Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s brands, is tasting success with an online marketing strategy that has racked up more 8 million views for YouTube videos about its burgers.

The Carpinteria-based company put some of the video-sharing site’s biggest stars to work promoting its burgers. One YouTube star generated half a million views using a Carl’s Jr. burger to fuel his illusionary jump over a speeding car, and the Carl’s Jr. Facebook page has more than 54,000 fans.

Social media and video-sharing sites such as YouTube form a sweet spot for CKE because of its focus on attracting “young, hungry guys,” the firm’s target demographic of 18- to 35-year-old men, said Brad Haley, CKE’s executive vice president of marketing for the Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s brands.

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