Think Again

“Uns” rarely mean good news…undo, unravel, uneventful, unthinkable, unimaginable, unproductive, etc. are not usually positives.  Unless (sorry) something is unbeatable, un is a non-starter. 

More important than KFC’s latest headline language and the launch promotion executional flaws, it seems the bigger issue is the  “un” branding of the fast food fried chicken category leader. KFC has spent many decades and millions of dollars staking out defined territory in consumers’ minds – fried chicken made from Colonel Sanders’ special recipe.

Do they really want consumers to “unthink” the brand? Successful brand extensions transport the driving equity dimensions to adjacent categories. The best extensions evolve the brand over time, bringing consumers along a continuum without pushing farther or faster than they can or will accept. It’s always a careful balancing act to attract new users to drive growth without alienating the loyalists.

Sure, chicken is part of the KFC equity and may offer extension opportunities but fried chicken is the frame the brand currently owns. Clearly, KFC is not abandoning fried chicken any time soon but clearly wants (presumably new) target consumers to make the perceptual and behavioral leap to grilled chicken.

But, mass communication of “Unthink KFC” to all consumers does raise the question, “where does KFC think their fried chicken lovers should go?”