MARKETING
It is now imperative for the marketing teams to understand what we import , what we source locally , and where we are vulnerable to either consumer frustration or supply chain disruption . KFC knew their potatoes were imported , but it only became a problem when they found themselves out of stock facing a national boycott from angry consumers , who were frustrated that the brand was ignoring local growers . Marketers are not always naturally curious about the product that is the foundation of their brand , and rarely comfortable on a factory floor ! That needs to urgently change .
One of the first bosses I worked with in Diageo sent his brand managers to work in a bar as part of their induction . It gave each brand manager a much deeper connection with their product at the point of purchase . One of our general managers here in East Africa routinely works a night shift in the brewery to better understand the hard work that goes into each production . Similarly , McDonald ’ s send senior employees to work frontline in one of their restaurants for a week .
Nothing will give you more appreciation for your brand , how it is made , and how it is enjoyed by consumers . It is a great way for marketers to proactively improve their products , consider a shift to local ingredients , proactively understanding production and packaging challenges , and becoming a genuine brand expert from raw materials to shelf . That knowledge
and product understanding is increasingly important for consumers in a world where supply will be disrupted . It needs to be as important for marketers .
Marketing : Solve the Right Problem
I wrote in the December Issue about the importance of great briefs in marketing , particularly starting with the right problem statement or issue . KFC are an amazing brand , and they have a proven track record of delivering award winning creative in tough circumstances .
This is not the first supply chain crisis KFC have faced . In 2018 KFC UK changed their logistic partner
“ Kenyans were not happy . The underlying problem wasn ’ t that KFC was out of potatoes , to be fair to KFC they offered some great alternative sides , what rubbed people up the wrong way was the revelation that KFC sourced their potatoes from abroad . In a country full of waru this seemed like sacrilege !”
and within weeks they infamously ran out of chicken and other key products . Hundreds of KFC restaurants across the UK were forced to close . It quickly became a national PR disaster and trended across the UK as # chickencrises and # kfccrisis . KFC ’ s response was a campaign that has become one of the textbook case studies on how to turn a PR disaster into a win . KFC ’ s agency Mother set about offering a funny and honest apology that would get the public back on side . The work was iconic , simple , and very , very funny .
The UK work was humble and very transparent about how the out of stock was being dealt with . It was built on the key brand assets of the brand and had humour at the core of the creative . A great example of how to communicate out of stock issues to consumers .
So , with that playbook , what went wrong in Kenya ? You can see some of the KFC traits of ‘ humility , honesty and humour ’ in the Kenyan work . The announcement is well branded and transparent BUT I think KFC Kenya started with the wrong problem . KFC UK ran out of stock of their chicken , which is ( mostly !) locally sourced . In Kenya the problem for consumers wasn ’ t the out of stock , it was the fact that in a country full of potatoes KFC still imports . Their message fell flat because it addressed the wrong problem . The elephant in the room was where KFC were sourcing their potatoes from .
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MAL 46 / 22 ISSUE