News
Will negative buzz mean more sales for KFC Double Down?
April 11, 2010
How often is it that a new product launch reaches an unprecented level of infamy well before its national debut? Not often, especially at KFC, which usually stays tight-lipped until its national advertising is in place.
But word got out last summer about the Double Down, asandwich that features two boneless filets in place of a bun, and health advocates have been squawking about it ever since. But even though it's negative attention, the company is apparently lapping it up. In an e-mail club alert, the company boasted about how much attention the sandwich received in the weeks before its launch.
From late-night talk shows and national news networks to social media sites and blog postings, all of America is buzzing about the Double Down, which is becoming one of the most anticipated new products in KFC history.
The buzz has continued to trend downward as word of the product lauch spread. YouGov's BrandIndex found that KFC's buzz score among adults 18 - 34 has fallen almost nine points since March 1. KFC's buzz score fell from 15.8 to 7 as of April 9, falling below the Top QSR Sector average on March 24 with a score of 12.1 as comments grew increasinly negative.
Zeta Interactive's online media mining technology Zeta Buzz found that the level of online buzz surrounding the KFC brand has improved since the company first announced the launch of the Double Down sandwich, allowing it to bypass all other leading chicken chains except Chick-fil-A. However, the buzz surrounding the Double Down sandwich itself is negative.
Zeta Buzz found that the tone of buzz surrounding the Double Down sandwich is 56 percent positive/44 percent negative as of this morning. In comparison, buzz about McDonald's Big Mac is 79 percent positive/21 percent negative and fast casual Boston Market's Boston Chicken Carver is 83 percent positive/17 percent negative.
Zeta Interactive also reported that three of the most popular words or terms used to describe the Double Down sandwich over the past week are "fat/fattening," "unhealthy" and "other," which typically referred to in posts saying there are "other options" to the sandwich.
Scorn from nutritionists
　
The sandwich gained worldwide notoriety last summer after word of the product's test gained media attention. A Vancouver news outlet tested the sandwich's nutritional value, finding it was the equivalent to almost three McDonald's Big Macs. KFC quickly responded by saying the test results were inflated, but nutritionists virtually ignored that information.
A KFC microsite that counted down the Double Down's debut listed the sandwich's nutritional information. The sandwich, which consists of two boneless filets holding two bacon slices, two melted slices of Monterey Jack and pepper jack cheese and Colonel's Sauce, contains 540 calories, similar values to many of the burgers available at quick-service restaurants. The Double Down also is available in a grilled version, which checks in at 460 calories. Additional fat, cholesterol, sodium and other nutritional content for the Double Down, is available atwww.kfc.com/nutrition.
　
Even at 540 calories, nutritionists aren't advocating the sandwich. Dr. Walter Willett, chairman of the Harvard School of Health's Department of Nutrition, told the Boston Herald that the sandwich is still an unhealthy choice. It is extraordinarily high in sodium — about two-thirds of the daily recommended allowance for people under 45 — and contains about half the day's allowance of saturated fat.
Any publicity is good publicity?
KFC said in a news release that during the product's test market phase last year, high consumer interest and demand drove people to travel for miles to sample the Colonel's tasty new creation.
From online chatter speculating on whether the sandwich was just an urban legend to late night talk show mentions, the Double Down generated more buzz than any test market item in KFC history."The Double Down created such buzz as a test market item and it already has such high consumer awareness, we toyed with the idea of making a commercial that just said, 'It's here!,'" said Javier Benito, executive vice president of marketing and food innovation for KFC. "We don't typically talk about our products before they're available in our restaurants. But we expect Double Down to be in great demand when it becomes available on April 12."But will the buzz payoff in a product success?Melanie Warner, in her bnet.com blog post, compared the KFC launch to Hardee's 2004 debut of the Monster Thickburger, which drew just as much free publicity and the label food porn — and strong sales. But the Double Down isn't likely to do as well.
From the blog:
Unfortunately for KFC though, there's one big difference between the Thickburger and the Double Down — Hardee's creation closely resembles a recognizable food product. The Double Down resembles something your kid might come up with if left alone with a fridge full of leftovers. Beyond the novelty, it's hard to see how customers are going to flock to this one.
Wrong environment
Sue Reninger, managing partner, with RMD Advertising, said counting on the negative buzz generated by health advocates' concern could backfire on KFC.
　
"For the portion of the market that is inclined to consume this type of product, it certainly elevates awareness and will likely drive short-term success," Reninger said. "But in the long-run, for consumers looking to improve their eating habits, or even for consumers that are 'on the fence' about eating healthier on the run, this could be sending the message that all of KFC's products are unhealthy — and in fact alienating consumers."
　
KFC has already spent a large portion of its marketing dollars convincing consumers that it is Unthinking its deep-fried positioning since the launch of its grilled chicken line. But the Double Down seems to fly in the face of that. Focusing on an obviously fat-laden option may not be wise as consumers are more frequently turning to fast casuals and their decidedly better-for-you positioning.
"Protecting the brand is more important now than ever — and that requires becoming a brand warrior of sorts: safeguarding, whenever possible, against negative buzz," she said.
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