News

Double Down provides little buzz lift for KFC

May 20, 2014

New research from YouGov’s BrandIndex shows that KFC gained momentum in February from its #HowDoYouKFC” marketing campaign, timed to coincide with the Sochi Olympics .

According to a press release, the Sochi Olympics in early February brought the 2014 high water marks for KFC in two key YouGov BrandIndex metrics: Buzz (“If you've heard anything about the brand in the last two weeks, through advertising, news or word of mouth, was it positive or negative?") and Value ("Does it give good value for what you pay?").

Also, the brand’s viral, prom-themed video released in April of a high school boy giving a girl a corsage made of a chicken drumstick was unable to stem a three-month long slide. From early February through the present, both of those scores dropped by around one-third for KFC.

Purchase consideration, a significant measurement tied in with potential sales, has remained relatively stable over the same time period. When QSR consumers have considered where to eat, KFC has been contemplated among 29-31 percent of them. Throughout the last week, there has been a recent uptick,  coinciding with the limited time return of its Double Down Sandwich after a four-year absence: bacon, Monterey Jack cheese and sauce fitted between two slices of chicken with no bun. However, neither the Buzz nor Value scores have followed back up with it, YouGov said.

For the scores, 9,000 QSR consumers were interviewed.