Fast food corporation + public works project = KFC's new marketing campaign.
Got potholes? KFC's got a solution: they'll fill the potholes in your city if, after they've been filled, you let them spray-paint their logo on the finished product. Sound like a good deal? Then you might want to give Colonel Sanders a call and let him know to come to town (or go to town--on your potholes, that is).
KFC's pothole-filling project is all part of their new "street marketing campaign" to spread the word about the freshness of KFC's chicken. According to the company's press release, "While most people know the signature taste of the Colonel's Original Recipe, not everyone knows that KFC restaurants receive shipments of fresh chicken on the bone throughout each week." But make no mistake, this isn't about just letting consumers know they sell fresh chicken at KFC.
As soon as I heard about KFC's new promotion, I remembered what I'd read in Martin Lindstrom's book, Buyology. In the book, he describes KFC's subliminal ad for the Buffalo Snacker chicken sandwich, which "if the viewer replayed... in slow motion, revealed a code that consumers could enter on the KFC Web site to receive a coupon for a free Snacker" (Lindstrom 2008: 73). The point is that KFC doesn't slap logos on potholes without a good reason--it's all part of the great KFC master marketing plan. The question is, will consumers find it authentic and believable?
The "Re-Freshed by KFC" pothole campaign is an interesting one--doing something good for the community and also spreading the word about the KFC brand, but some people don't like the idea of public works and business mixing. Others just don't like KFC's practices, and find the idea of promoting the brand on potholes rather repellent, regardless of the fact cities are getting help improving the roads.
PETA has accused KFC of cruelty to animals for years. They're so inflamed over the company's new "Re-Freshed" campaign that they've offered Louisville's mayor $6,000 (twice what KFC "donated") to fill potholes and then spray-paint them with anti-KFC messages. The mayor declined PETA's offer. It would appear PETA's money isn't good enough for Louisville.
No doubt the conflict has brought attention to KFC's campaign, but it also sparks discussion about the limits of advertising campaigns. Should public streets be branded with the logos of companies? Some say that has essentially already happened at bus stops, on park benches, and on city buses--so what's the difference? In this case, it seems like the difference is the close partnership between KFC and the City of Louisville. But can this be helped? After all, as Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson points out, KFC employs a lot of people in the city.
Does KFC's advertising campaign cross the line or is it just smart marketing? What do you think?
This is an outrage. Corporate graffiti? KFC is blatantly insulting graffiti counter-culture. Graffiti is all about sticking it to the man, not advertising chicken for him. Not to mention their stencils are wack...
While local government and private industry have joined forces, it's clear that KFC hasn't collaborated with any real street artists as of yet (hence, the wack stencils). I agree with you that graffiti is all about "sticking it to the man," but I think it's quite possible we're watching the emergence of a new kind of corporate graffiti (corfitti?). Thanks for your comment, Dravium.
Love this post, saw the KFC campaign on the news and thought it was interesting. What is wrong with paying to fix some problems and putting temporary paint, which is gone in a short time, on it? I say nothing, it helps everyone and is pretty creative.
It's true--the KFC paint wears off in 30 days, so it's not a permanent fixture, and filling the pothole will last much, much longer. And I agree--KFC's not pretending to create art here, or even pay homage to the gods of graffiti--it's just a clever subliminal ad campaign, which KFC is skilled at creating.
Thanks for commenting, David!