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KFC might have a hit on its hands with the Double Down sandwich, but it hasn't been enough to pull its U.S. stores out of a financial slump. One of the big reasons? The chicken chain is fighting to come up with a consistent brand message that resonates with consumers. After coming up with five ad campaigns in recent years, they're jumping from the phrase "Unthink" (which never really made sense) to the bland-but-understandable "So Good." Yep, this is the kind of thing corporations spend millions of dollars and countless hours coming up with.
"We've been very impatient," Javier Benito, KFC's exec VP of marketing and food innovation, told Advertising Age. "When you look at brands that have been with the same taglines for many years, they do well because they're consistent."
KFC's same-store sales fell 4% in the U.S. during 2009. (The chain has gangbuster numbers in Asia, however.) KFC still leads the chicken category, but rival Chick-fil-A is closing the gap, largely because they're doing a better job communicating with their customers. The Double Down aside, many people aren't familiar with KFC's lineup of sandwiches or its value menu items.
The new slogan might be a step in the right direction, but if comments from company management are any indication, there's still a lot of confusion at the top. When explaining the target market for their chicken, Benito told Ad Age that KFC is reaching out to "socially connected people who are trans-generational." Ugh. With corporate double-speak like that, it's no wonder the company's message gets lost in translation.
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5-26-2010 @6:30PM Nancy said... You are a racist slob. Keep your opinions to yourself. Yes, I am white.
5-25-2010 @10:04PM Stephanie said... Whatever happened to the old standby, "It's finger lickin' good!"? It's tried and true and gets to the point.
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5-26-2010 @2:30PM Michael said... I loved "It's Finger Lickin' Good too, as it was a huge part of my childhood. The problem with that slogan nowadays is that they are so many germaphobes out there who won't even touch a public bathroom door handle for fear of getting E-Coli bacteria that the last thing they would do would be to lick their fingers after a meal prepared by a total stranger making minimum wage and probably hating their job at KFC. I still love Chick-Fil-A's slogan with the cow mascot, "Eat Mor Chikin".........classic.
5-26-2010 @4:39PM King David said... I thought the two words would be: "Gree See"
5-26-2010 @6:58PM Al Schrader said... I was there in 1964 at Sanders first successful KFC in Miami. At lunch time there was a line that wrapped around the block. He made a gravy from the chicken drippings that would blow your mind.
He would sell you a pint container of the gravy & some soft Parkerhouse dinner rolls that you dipped into the gravy. You really didn't need to buy the chicken because the gravy had tiny bits of breading & chicken in it. There are only two of us left living that know how to make the gravy me & the Colonels daughter. I've taken this to new levels you just would not believe, for example I use the coating to make a fried pork chop. You haven't lived until you try a fried pork chop made with the colonel's coating. I've had forty years to work on this, and I've made a ridiculous amount of new foods. I think the Colonel would be proud of me..Maybe I'll start a new chain, you never know....Alfred-
5-26-2010 @8:34PM John said... Stephanie, you are so correct! "If it isn't broke, don't fix it!" Somehow I can't see Colonel Sanders saying "So Good!" Are ya kidding !Hence Came "It is finger licking, good!" Amen Steph!
5-27-2010 @12:19AM Dabe said... IT'S SERVICE stupid. All these suits are always looking for creative clever ideas. TRY DELIVERING DECENT SERVICE.
Go to Chic Filet and the smile you to death. Go to KFC and they look at you like "And what
do you want "
Go back to the basics suiters and you might just earn your pay. Stop wasting time on stupid slogans. Just give excellent service and excellent food. they will beat your door down buying.
5-26-2010 @10:23PM sharonfromva said... AMEN!
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5-26-2010 @2:27PM Michael said... How about ,"KFC Original Recipe......it's GRRRREEEEASY"
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5-26-2010 @2:33PM KZK said... KFC still obtains their chickens from poultry ranches that boil the chickens to death AND that is after they are raised in a brutal environment. There are cruelty free ways to raise and kill chickens, KFC just refuses to utilize these suppliers. Google KFC animal cruelty for yourself.
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5-26-2010 @4:53PM Daniele said... Thats why I don't eat there! I saw that video of how they treated those poor animals...The workers kicking them & bagging them against the walls just for kicks!...I'm sure this is why a lot of people aren't eating there anymore!! You're the only person who commented about that. Everyone elses complaint is about the fat content, but, like you, the first thing that came to my mind is how the the chickens are treated. So glad you mentioned it :)
5-26-2010 @5:05PM PAULSTARNYC said... KZC, THE CLASS OF PEOPLE THAT PATRONIZE KFC DO NOT GIVE A RATS ASS ABOUT THE TREATMENT OF THE CHICKENS SERVED. DON'T GET ME WRONG I AM A MEAT EATER AND HAVE NO LOVE FOR PETA, BUT I WOULD STAY AWAY FROM A KFC BECAUSE OF THE WAY CHICKENS ARE RAISED AND SLAUGHTERED,
5-26-2010 @8:08PM will said... I am sure the chicken does not care whether it is raised in comfort or not, considering the end result will be the same. Also unless you don't enjoy chicken like I do, stop hating and just enjoy. Remeber that food chain thing.
5-26-2010 @11:54PM KZK said... Thank You Daniele and PAUL STARNYC for reading and comprehending my comment. Will, please read my comment again. I said, "There are cruelty free ways to raise and kill chickens, KFC just refuses to utilize these suppliers." And Will, making the statement, " I am sure the chicken does not care whether it is raised in comfort or not, considering the end result will be the same." is idiotic. Even Death Row inmates care about their comfort. Perhaps chickens are not high on the intelligence list, but they know when to get out of the rain and do fight over juicy worms and such. I know, I lived on a ranch growing up .... a humane ranch. All the animals were Free Range with many sheltered areas. They were treated well and when the time came, they were killed quickly and humanely.
5-26-2010 @2:35PM JustinOpinion said... Greasy? Really? Not the times I've had their chicken. But DEFINITELY "finger-lickin' good!" I'm BEGGING people to STOP complaining about fat and calories in fast food! Duh! Ya think?!?! OF COURSE it's got tons of fat and calories, BUT, anything is OK....IN MODERATION!!!!! NO you can't eat it every day of your stupid life, but once in a while, Oh HELL YEAH!
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5-26-2010 @7:40PM Matt said... It really depends on which location you go to. The KFC near me has so much grease, the minute I bite the crispy skin, I feel like throwing up. I no longer go to KFC. I go to either Popeye's Chicken or El Pollo Loco.
5-26-2010 @2:47PM JAR said... It's "So Good" is already taken by the yoplait yogurt. Nobody has any good ideas anymore.
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5-26-2010 @3:00PM Mitchell said... How about "SO FAT!"!
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5-26-2010 @3:00PM ennui said... kfc is about the most unheathy garbage you can eat.....a step up is dog food.
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5-26-2010 @7:27PM JP said... Actually Ennui, if you take some time to look at whats in dog food, you'd find that it's actually more healthy than a wide array of what people eat. If you took it for just how healthy it is, it's pretty far from the bottom.