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 was 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!
Until next week…..Liz
Branding speaker and expert Liz Goodgold has over 25 years of experience working for clients such as Quaker Oats, Times Mirror, and Arco Oil as well as with small business owners and start-up. Her specialized, one-on-one branding and coaching programs spark new ideas that deliver sure-fire results. To find out how Liz can help you, contact her at liz@redfirebranding.com
Liz is also the author of RED FIRE BRANDING: Create a Hot Personal Brand and Have Customers for Life and DUH! Marketing.
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{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
Heather thanks this was a great post!Unfortunately I think we broke the first rule when we got online, But we were thinking BackyardBoutiquePartyNetwork was a lot to type in! Will share with our members! Backyard Blessings-Heidi
I have heard Branding Lesson #5 before: We typically tire of our own ad or promotion long before the consumer does; resist the temptation.
Because of this, I have a hard time knowing how long to keep an ad or promotion going. Any tips on gauging this?
This was a great informational resource…a friendly reminder of some of the rules and a FRESH introduction to others. For me Rule #5 sticks out, but rather than me tiring of it (the ad/promotion) I simply find myself wondering “when is enough too much”? i.e. When do your customers get tired of hearing/seeing your ad and how do you gauge when it’s time to do something new/different? I mean I suffer greatly from first being the consummate consumer who knows my brands and my fave products that those brands offer. But, I am also very aware of how sometimes irksome it can be to be inundated with mailers, etc. so I often get nervous about that feeling that I am “doing too much” when it comes to reaching out to my own customers as I don’t want to turn them off before I really have them get to know me (i.e. my company and it’s product offering). Any advice?
wow, this is so interesting. it’s surprising to hear that a large company like this has struggled so much with branding. thanks for the great article.
I can see how branding lesson #1 can be so tempting with text lingo being all the rage and sounding so “hip”. I like idea #2 and have been contemplating on a few ideas here. I know for me, logos/symbols remain vivid in my mind more than names, so I understand how effective a well thought out mascot can be for branding. Like the others, #5 is a “stumper” for me. This would be a good topic to elaborate on.
Hmmm…Not sure I agree with your position on re-branding KFC. Colonel Sanders has no baggage? Consider this: His name is a military title. Strike one. He is a white, “old south”-style southerner. Strike two. He is all that, and marketing an un-healthy product that has long been (wrongly) associated with racial stereotypes.* Steeeerike three!!!
As for everyone wanting to know what the letters stand for, I offer this: We got KFC for dinner a couple weeks ago. My eight-year-old daughter, suddenly cognizant of the fact that those letters must stand for something, asked, “What does KFC mean?” When I explained it, she simply said, “Oh.” and walked away. The letters meant nothing to her, and I submit they will mean nothing to her entire generation, as they grow up with “KFC’” vs. “Kentucky Fried Chicken.”
Finally, I believe KFC’s grilled chicken will turn out to be their “New Coke.” Truly, the Colonel is spinning in his grave!
*No offense intended IN ANY WAY in this post.
Twitter: heathall
July 14, 2009 at 5:49 pm
No offense taken–and I’m sure Liz (the author of the post) feels the same. I love hearing different viewpoints on posts–it keeps things exciting!
Actually, I agree with you about the Colonel’s “image”. And we didn’t even get into PETA’s issues with KFC’s supposed animal cruelty.
Thanks for your comment–it raised some great points and furthered our branding discussion!
Heather
As I am not a branding expert, I am not sure how KFC should change their brand, but as a dietitian I applaud them for making an effort to try and offer more healthy options. Those who already eat there will most likely continue to do so, and now there is an option for those who are more health conscious. These kinds of changes are surely risky but sometimes necessary both for the good of the company and for society.
Wow! And the chicken is flying! Thanks all for taking the time to join the conversation. A few points:
1. Wear out factor – When I was at Quaker Oats, we tried hard to quantify when an ad or promotion has become “tired” and unfortunately, we never found a perfect answer. We simply started to look at recall rates, unaided awareness and of course sales. If a promotion was still bringing in the business, it is still working and shouldn’t be pulled.
2. Colonel Sanders – As many folks mentioned, the newer generation actually doesn’t know what KFC stands for. By the same token, I never saw the Colonel as racist. Rather, I saw him as a sweet, friendly fellow – perfect traits for a mascot.
3. Grilled Chicken – I haven’t tried it yet, but I still have my Oprah coupon! I agree that offering a healthy option is a noble goal; time will tell how many eaters actually pass up the fried chicken for the grilled.
This is a very interesting discussion. I’m not a professional marketer in any way, shape, or form, so please take my comments with the grain of salt they are worth.
As Liz mentioned, I agree the Colonel’s image has different meanings to different generations. Just like KFC doesn’t mean anything more than “KFC” to the younger generation, Colonel Sanders looks like he could be anyone’s sweet old grandfather. Images of eating dinner at grandma and grandpa’s house come to mind for me. The opportunity to expand their menu in a whole new way, while not losing their identity, was missed.
If they want to market their new grilled chicken to a new generation, economic value and fun are what they should be looking at. Mom and Dad will take the kids there if they can afford to. Once they are there, make sure they have fun. As silly as they are, my daughter just loves that box lunch kids meal they have. The fruit roll-up dessert just does it for her. The kids never seem to tire of those little toys either.
Also, get rid of the pathetic overhead music and get something fun. Old static-y “mom & dad” radio stations just don’t cut it. Get some music that isn’t older than the customers. If you want kids in your restaurant, play something they can relate to. Mix some Hannah Montana and Jonas Brothers in there somewhere.
KFC’s recent Oprah marketing debacle was indeed sad. It’s hard to imagine no one in the company saw that coming! The scenes of half of America trying to get free chicken from a bunch of poor frazzled restaurant employees turned me off. It was even sadder because of the economic timing. It reminded me of pictures from the great depression where people lined up at free soup kitchens. I just didn’t want to be a part of it at all. It will stand as the biggest marketing blunder of the 21st century (so far).
Like I said above, I’m not a professional. I eat too much fast food, so I see a lot of ways the experience could be improved. Please don’t take my opinion for any more than the $.02 it is worth.
Curt