In today's news, the Fed is slashing Wall Street salaries, Iran is in negotiations that could slow its nuclear program, and KFC is lobbying to get a seat in the United Nations.
OK, which one of these doesn't belong?
If you guessed the KFC publicity stunt, I'd say you're 100 percent correct. KFC has a history of these types of antics. I remember in 2007, the company asked for the pope's blessing of its then-new KFC Fish Snacker. Did KFC ever get a response? Who knows. But the buzz was great. We covered it on our Web site, and I specifically remember telling parishoners about it that Lenten season.
Yesterday's stunt with the U.N. is really no better or worse. What it is, is unoriginal.
The motive behind the U.N. request is the company's "Grilled Nation"--the 60 million people who have tried the chicken brand's newest grilled menu item. On Monday, Oct. 26, the company is celebrating "UNFry Day" by giving away a piece of free grilled chicken to customers across the country.
If the goal is to get as many people through the door to try the product, why involve an international governing body? The pope stunt was unique, but this latest publicity attempt makes the company's marketing efforts seem unoriginal and (dare I say) annoying.
The international community is waging two major wars, battling a global recession, and trying to keep nuclear proliferation to a minimum. Does the U.N. really need KFC knocking on its door asking to sit in on talks? I think not.
It's not that the company is incapable of launching a smart marketing campaign. Just last year, it had a great one. If any of the 2008 presidential candidates mentioned world hunger in a presidential debate, the company offered to donate $20,000 to hunger relief efforts. Now, that's edgy.
All this, of course, is just my opinion. What do you think of KFC's new marketing effort? Is it time the company stops wasting people's time or is it publicity pay dirt? What other brands have you seen use these kind of tactics? Do they really work?
Either way, we're already talking about it. So I guess the joke's on us ...
OK, which one of these doesn't belong?
If you guessed the KFC publicity stunt, I'd say you're 100 percent correct. KFC has a history of these types of antics. I remember in 2007, the company asked for the pope's blessing of its then-new KFC Fish Snacker. Did KFC ever get a response? Who knows. But the buzz was great. We covered it on our Web site, and I specifically remember telling parishoners about it that Lenten season.
Yesterday's stunt with the U.N. is really no better or worse. What it is, is unoriginal.
The motive behind the U.N. request is the company's "Grilled Nation"--the 60 million people who have tried the chicken brand's newest grilled menu item. On Monday, Oct. 26, the company is celebrating "UNFry Day" by giving away a piece of free grilled chicken to customers across the country.
If the goal is to get as many people through the door to try the product, why involve an international governing body? The pope stunt was unique, but this latest publicity attempt makes the company's marketing efforts seem unoriginal and (dare I say) annoying.
The international community is waging two major wars, battling a global recession, and trying to keep nuclear proliferation to a minimum. Does the U.N. really need KFC knocking on its door asking to sit in on talks? I think not.
It's not that the company is incapable of launching a smart marketing campaign. Just last year, it had a great one. If any of the 2008 presidential candidates mentioned world hunger in a presidential debate, the company offered to donate $20,000 to hunger relief efforts. Now, that's edgy.
All this, of course, is just my opinion. What do you think of KFC's new marketing effort? Is it time the company stops wasting people's time or is it publicity pay dirt? What other brands have you seen use these kind of tactics? Do they really work?
Either way, we're already talking about it. So I guess the joke's on us ...
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