Oprah and KFC
Free is free and some people will take full advantage when given the chance. Recently the KFC franchised began promoting their new grilled chicken. One of the campaigns involved a downloadable coupon for a free meal. The restrictions were simple: only one coupon per person and only four downloads per computer.
Oprah Winfrey got on the band wagon and promoted the giveaway to her viewers. This meant a LOT more traffic for KFC but it also meant more headaches than the company was expecting.
Customers overwhelmed the stores – some carrying as many as 12 coupons. In some locations the police were called to handle the traffic. The franchise decided to offer rain checks to some customers to help reduce the traffic jams.
It was a great idea to offer a free taste of a new meal to their customers, but KFC is learning that no good deed goes unpunished. There have been complaints that the “free meal” did not include drinks and that stores were giving out dark meat instead of white meat.
KFC does get a nod from me for handling the chaos with such grace. Many stores have honored any coupons that have come in (including those that have been photo copied despite restrictions against it). The company is also offering free drinks with the rain checks that are being offered to consumers.
This is a lesson for corporate America – the technology of today has changed the game. When you give something away, the word will spread and you will have a bigger response than you could ever imagine. Be prepared.
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