Comments on: Do Words Matter? Not at KFC, Apparently.

By: Hurley Mon

Hurley Mon — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 18:57:11 +0000

I have asked myself this question everytime I see the ad, and here is what I have come to believe - SADLY……They laugh because they are making fun of their well mannered guest. Sure the trans fat debate is valid, but I would rather debate and chastise KFC for debasing manners and poking fun being polite. And barber kid get a hair cut - shame on you KFC for not having even a hit of Southern manners

By: yer mum

yer mum — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 03:10:07 +0000

Okay , in the KFC drumstick and thigh bucket commercial ; will someone please explain to me why the father and son laugh after the mother corrects the guest by saying “It’s Mrs Barber” and not “Nancy” ?

By: jack

jack — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 03:28:08 +0000

The problem is very clear to me. The advertiser has determined that we are just a bunch of stupid consumers. Most likely not paying any attention to the commercials, no matter the product, but we do know the product and that and that alone is the important thing. Here is the rule, say anything you want just make sure the viewer can identify my product. In the end, it all comes down to money. How much KFC can you eat?

By: Amy Derby

Amy Derby — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 17:59:03 +0000

I saw this commercial for the first time last night and thought, “Huh??”

Now, I’m no copywriting genius, and I’ve never written a commercial ad, but throughout the entire commercial, I was focusing on the poor advertising rather than on their product. I’d say that’s bad.

FDA regulations or not, it’s confusing. They should say “less than 1% transfat per serving” or something that is clear and doesn’t need to be contradicted with a “zero transfat” message across the screen.

Just the opinion of one gal who previously watched the KFC commercials for the coleslaw.

By: Carey

Carey — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 00:29:09 +0000

Bob? Great math. From all of this discussing, I now have the “Chicken Dance” in my brain. As a vegetarian, I’m just glad that tofu definitely contains 0 Trans Fats. …Right?

By: Michael

Michael — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 13:18:19 +0000

Sounds like advertise-ese to me. But, you’re right—saying “less than” gives the impression that they were comparing it to something. Perhaps Kentucky Fried Chicken was trying to imply that its chicken now contains “less transfat” [than its competition]. That way when someone is contemplating going out for chicken and the choice is between Kentucky Fried Chicken and its competition, the customer will remember the sentence in the commercial ‘our chicken has “less transfat”’ and will fill in the missing part in his head with “than X”. Just a thought.

Me? I prefer In-N-Out Burger.

By: Tim Schweizer

Tim Schweizer — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 21:11:18 +0000

Bob, I think it makes sense; it allows them two accomplish two things. First, it makes their food sound like it has improved. Second, it also allows them to communicate a “comparative message” (indirectly) about KFC’s competitors. You can take the message either way, so they leverage the communication message by letting the listener interpret the meaning.

By: Riel Langlois, writer of Canadian comic books

Riel Langlois, writer of Canadian comic books — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 15:53:21 +0000

When I read this post I thought it was probably some FDA technicality that made the writing bad, something like “We can only say 0% PER SERVING, but not in general because there are too many grams of trans fat in a full bucket.” I think Jodi has it pegged.

By: Jodi Kaplan

Jodi Kaplan — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 14:42:43 +0000

The reason for the “less” versus “zero” is that FDA rules allow a company to say 0% trans fat if it contains less than .5 gram PER SERVING. So, the chicken, or chips, or whatever could have .25% of trans fat, but could still be labeled as 0% trans fat. Clear as mud?

By: Robert Rosenthal

Robert Rosenthal — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 13:51:02 +0000

In a short TV spot, I think it’s reasonable to assume viewers will generally believe “less trans fat” is less trans fat than before. But without more specificity, viewers could conclude that the difference is miniscule.

As for the contradictory “less trans fat” voiceover and “0 trans fat” text, that’s just weird. I poked around on the KFC website and found a possible explanation. All KFC menu items now have 0 trans fat, with one exception: KFC Snacker Ultimate Cheese. Maybe it was a case of copy by committee.

Full disclosure: I love the Colonel. Always have.