Time spent thinking is one of the greatest things you can do - either personally or professionally. You should always take time to think, especially if you are in business. Rethinking an idea or an action is an accepted way to think. Outthinking someone and/or your competition is hard. But unthinking something isn't normal. That is why KFC's latest campaign - UNTHINK KFC - to introduce Kentucky Grilled Chicken is baffling to me. Yes, it is a secret recipe. That's where the similarity ends.
Why ask someone to unthink your brand? Not unless you're trying to reposition away from what you're known for. Kentucky Fried Chicken is already the world's most popular chicken restaurant chain. It moves them away from the fried chicken heritage that has made them the leader! The secret recipe is the connection. It is a brand extension that may or may not work. At between 70 to 180 calories and four to nine grams of fat (dependent on the piece), it provides a non-fried option from a brand that America loves.
The "un" positioning has worked at a strategic level in the past to create dissatisfaction with a brand, most notably 7-Up back in the 60's with the "Uncola" campaign. That was brilliant repositioning by creating a new category. It just seems to fall flat for KFC - both strategically and creatively.
Everything seems forced - from the web site www.unthinkfc.com to the TV spots. The site has the requisite viral components and engagement tools. One is a direct rip-off of the Burger King Subservient Chicken. Here you get to upload your version of the chicken dance. I don't see that in my future. It proves the old adage that you can't force consumers to engage with your brand.
The spots never truly drive home the" unthink" notion. They use celebrity chefs in the spots which appear contrived at best. I can't think for a moment that these chefs would spend any appreciable time in the KFC kitchens. More emphasis on the secret recipe would have allowed for a better connection to the KFC brand attributes - the "specialness" of the recipe that can't be duplicated.
KFC has gone all out to drive trials of the product. This past Monday was "UNFry Day" with consumers getting a FREE piece of Kentucky Grilled Chicken. This is after KFC conducted a National Training Day with their cooks. A mandatory three-hour session where KFC cooks successfully mastered the patented Kentucky Grilled Chicken cooking process, becoming KFC-certified "Grill Sergeants." Sounds hokey at best. To top it off, they had Kentucky Grilled Chicken employee rallies across the country to celebrate the launch. I can see those KFC brand ambassadors now! Think they might be confused - fried chicken heritage or the new "in" thing - grilled chicken. It has all the makings of a fractured brand, both internally and externally. I wonder what the original Colonel, Harlan Sanders, would think about all this.
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