“We find ourselves in a unique situation – having an iconic slogan that does not quite fit into the current environment,” said Catherine Tan-Gillespie, Global Chief Marketing Officer at KFC in a statement. The menu does not change and the company said the slogan will return if the “time is right.”
To be clear, Monday’s announcement is a marketing campaign. A smart one, maybe, with good intentions in it … but a marketing campaign nonetheless. KFC spread the slogan on old billboards and signs in a shaky ad that was released on their YouTube page.
KFC uses, like most fast food places, bizarre, self-deprecating and sometimes hokey marketing ploys to bring customers into their stores. Fast food is a low-growth, zero-loyalty company with razor-thin margins, so every lump in customers is a major gain for fast-service restaurants.
Also similar to other fast food restaurants, KFC temporarily closed its dining rooms in March and encouraged customers to order via their drive-thrus as delivery. It also installed Plexiglas counter-top shields between employees and customers, required workers to wear masks and implemented health measures before moving.
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