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KFC's Offer to Sanjaya is a Media Masterpiece
Have you heard about the offer that KFC has given to Sanjaya of American Idol? If you haven't then I am absolutely shocked because it is everywhere.
Does KFC really care if Sanjaya accepts their offer of a free lifetime supply of KFC Bowls? Or that he would star in a KFC ad? Or that they would pay $5,000 for him to accept this offer?
No, what they care about is that the name KFC is being tossed around like a salad. People are discussing it at the water coolers in offices, kids are laughing about it on buses, local and national TV stations are covering the offer, newspapers are highlighting it on front pages, radio stations are devoting entire programming around it, and web sites are saturated with the story. KFC is cashing in on the exposure which has cost them absolutely nothing except possibly 37-cents to mail the open letter offer to the contestant. KFC is now also linked to a national icon--American Idol--which Ford is paying millions to partner with. The exposure is unbelievable with a 99.9% reach and a 3+++ frequency based on millions of impressions at a price of $0. This is every Media and PR agency's dream is to come up with an idea like this and have it warrant such prolific coverage. It will be interesting to see if we ever hear the benefits KFC reaps from this promotional masterpiece. But in the meantime--what are you having for dinner? My kids have asked to try a KFC Bowl!
Great posting! Not only is this a brilliant attempt by KFC to take a free ride on the Sanjaya Bandwagon, it's timely, relevant and charitable. Creativity and sales are everything in a marketing campaign and while as you point out, we may not know how many times the KFC cash registers ring as a result of this, it's certainly creative and comes at little cost to the marketer. Tying the offer back to a charity that benefits a close demographic of Malakar is also a great PR move. Another fine example of how vital creativity and relevance are to a marketing campaign.