KFC: The Untested and Untasted Brand: Branding Lessons from the “f” word
Branding lessons. OK, I can continue to follow the unfolding saga of the once-brand KFC; you know the brand I mean – the one you and I knew dearly as Kentucky Fried Chicken. It was an indulgent treat; we knew it wasn’t good for us, but we sopped up every little remaining morsel – yum! Oh, and then management discovered that fried could be perceived as a bad word, so they paid one of my competitors an obscene amount of dough to rebrand them as “KFC.” And, the problem with that? It still has the “f” word! Every single one of us knows exactly what the letter stands for! Of course that brings us to Branding Lesson #1: Do NOT use letters in place of words; consumers always want to know what the letters represent, they are often confused (can you say “dyslexia?”) and they are less memorable than real words. If management would have hired me, I would have rebranded them as Colonel Sanders. He was a lovely mascot, very little baggage, and would behave allowed the brand to expand in to other food offerings bringing us to Branding Lesson #2: Mascots can work very hard for brands; even we can become our own walking, talking mascots. And, let’s not forget the fiasco of 2003 when KFC tried to promote its original recipe chicken as health food! TV ads proclaimed “a fresh way to eat better,” but in small white type across the screen it read “not a low fat, low sodium or low cholesterol food.” Then, why is it healthy? Apparently, the FTC has issues with the health claims too and it forced the company to stop promoting the franchise this way. Branding lesson #3: Brands must be authentic; you cannot pretend to be something you are not. Fast forward to 2009 and KFC truly realizes that grilled chicken may really be healthy and bring in new users to the fast feeder. So, they inked a deal with Oprah and you could experience a free 4- piece meal. That is, if you could redeem it! Thousands of unhappy would-be customers waited in lines only to be told that there was no more chicken. Franchisees also discovered that they had to foot the bill and weren’t happy either. Branding Lesson #4: Never underestimate the Oprah effect and do not make promises to customers that you cannot keep. Finally, this week the company launched a contest to find the ultimate fan of the brand to be featured in ads, etc. The prize? A lifetime of KFC, valued at a mere $13,000. Oh, and what happens to the Colonel? Management feels he is tired and with this promotion, he will probably be replaced. Branding Lesson #5: We typically tire of our own ad or promotion long before the consumer does; resist the temptation. Gotta go: Time for this chicken to fly the coop!