KFC Advertises To Extraterrestrials

Extraterrestrials can view two of man kind’s greatest accomplishments as they approach our planet: The Great Wall of China and KFC.

The stunt is part of a “rebranding” campaign which was launched the the 87,500 square foot image of the Colonel created in the Nevada desert.

“If there are extraterrestrials in outer space, KFC wants to become their restaurant of choice,” KFC President Gregg Dedrick said in a statement.

The internet’s response to the stunt is priceless.  One writer wrote:

Gregg, I don’t think you thought this over very well. Everyone knows that aliens do not eat chicken. They eat PEOPLE you dumbass!!!

I am appalled. Corporate irresponsibility has reached a new low when a company will risk the security of our entire planet for a publicity stunt.

So what was the purpose of the “rebranding” for KFC? Advertising to aliens?  It’s just another desperate plea for attention.

The question that gets asked at my house (by not only me, but my teen aged children) all the time is this: “Does this make me want to try/buy the product?”

In the case of Apple Computer, the answer is “YES!”

In the case of KFC’s ads for aliens, the answer is “NO!”

• Does this image bring up thoughts of tasty home cooked meals?

• Does it make me want to hop in the car and go grab a bucket of chicken?

Strange, but the Colonel’s image prominently displayed against a backdrop of a desolate dirt farm doesn’t stir my appetite one bit. It doesn’t remind me of the days from my child hood when every Sunday my mother insisted we have KFC.

Here’s a bit of advice KFC: Everyone knows your offerings aren’t considered “heart healthy” but neither are MOST of the fast food offerings available today.  Instead, try appealing to the time pressed consumer who would like to serve his/her family a fast, easy meal.   It works.  It’s worked time and time again for my clients.  It can for you too.

Is KFC getting free publicity? Yes, but so is Britney Spears, for all the good it’s doing her as well. Britney is getting plenty of coverage thanks to her recent divorce filing from K-Fed (or Fed-Ex as he’s been dubbed by the tabloids) and his threat to release a sex tape made during their marriage. Free publicity can cost a lot when you try to erase/suppress it.

Look for another “rebranding” effort for KFC in the near future when they fire this ad agency and move on to the next.

Oh wait, it happened three years later in 2009 with the KFC Coupon Disaster!  Thanks KFC for keeping it consistent.