Tag Archives: kfc

KFC Racist Ad Goes Viral: Think Global, Act Global?

Old adage is “think global, and act local” when it comes to marketing. But what if the Internet screws that up? What if a KFC ad that might be perfectly appropriate in Australia is offensive to Americans? Check Google analytics, Twitter search and “How Sociable” if you want proof of the damage.

Even if you’re not putting your local commercials on the Intertube, you may want to think about how it might strike customers in other countries. Not as bad as accidentally naming your brand a word that means “shark penis” in Japan, but close.

Boobies vs. Abused Animals (KFC PR Nightmare)

kfc boobiesThere are two things we know about videos.

Boobies and animals are adored. You want to piss people off? Throw a puppy from a cliff. You want to get a video seen? Put boobies on the thumbnail image.

Ladies and gentleman of the public jury, KFC may not be facing the worse public relations ever. But when I saw this Pam Anderon KFC Cruelty video today (this particular version uploaded by popular YouTuber TheHill88), my “spidey sense” tells me the worst is ahead.

You don’t have to be an advocate for big boobies OR PETA to watch this video and decide not to eat KFC for at least a few weeks. Stories about abused, deformed and slaughtered chickens can anger people. But video turns it visceral: like the difference between hearing about a car accident and seeing one. My keyboard and I are really glad I happened to have a veggie wheatbread pizza for lunch.

kfc boobiesThis slaughter montage is not new, but it’s certainly compelling and picking up steam. This version of the KFC/Anderson YouTube video is the 5th highest-ranked Google result for KFC, and features a thumbnail of a deformed chicken and more than 400,000 views. Do a search on YouTube for KFC and sort by date if you don’t take my word for it.

Here’s the KFC Cruelty website, which ranks fourth on a Google search for KFC. And here’s KFC’s Animal Welfare Program (somewhat hard to find on the KFC’s official homepage). The public will determine KFC guilty until proven innocent, but I’ve got my money on boobies and animals versus a fast-food restaurant. I imagine the KFC trademark attorneys are looking back at last week’s Onion Feedbag parody, and forgetting why they even got upset.  

P.S. Let the record show that, according to Wikipedia, Colonel Sanders was neither a colonel nor a slave owner, even though he did refer to KFC’s gravy as “sludge” with a “wallpaper taste.”