In February 2018, the KFC chain in England started working with a new supplier and immediately faced an previously unimaginable problem.
It turned out that the world-famous DHL had overextended itself and could not deliver enough fresh chicken nationwide in a short time. Two-thirds of the restaurants – 700 stores – could not open. Guests were promised in a message posted on the doors that they would be welcomed back as soon as possible with a full menu.
The hysteria was not absent. Most people expressed their dissatisfaction or mocked the situation on Twitter. Those using ##KFCCrisis mostly wrote dramatic posts about the disappointment caused to children. In several cities, people called the police or local politicians seeking a solution. The press naturally picked up the topic, discussing it on television and writing about it in newspapers and news portals.
KFC responded the next day with a statement posted on Twitter. The opening line was a well-known Anglo-Saxon joke:
„Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to our restaurant.”.
They published a list of their operating units on their website and took the opportunity to promote their app: those who have the app on their phone can more easily find a functioning restaurant.
On the third day, they released a bold and honest apology advertisement, where the image took center stage. A few crumbs and an empty chicken basket with a reinterpreted logo illustrating the situation: FCK.
The one-page advertisement was Mother London’s work and appeared only once in two national daily newspapers, the Sun and the Metro. It was a bold move to alter the logo, especially since it was transformed into an abbreviation of a curse word. Who is the marketer who voluntarily associates a negative meaning with the brand? Apparently, it is someone who is in big trouble...
People devoured the self-irony and the sincere apology, liking, commenting, and retweeting. In one day, fans' opinions turned around, and 80 percent of the adult population came into contact with the story within a week. The press picked up the apology so much that the advertisement achieved over a billion impressions after it was only published once in two national papers, which was essentially an offline advertisement spreading online.
The lesson is, if there is a big problem, don’t just call the lawyers, but also the agency immediately.
