Goodification Revisited

I’ve been following the KFC Goodification campaign as part of one of my assignments this semester. It’s actually been quite interesting watching a mature brand try to catch-up and reposition itself in the market…how are they actually faring with it all though? In an attempt to not feel guilt free about procrastinating on Facebook when I’m meant to be writing assignments I had a quick look at the KFC Australia Facebook page (you see, this Facebook time is research for this post!!) What was interesting is their page has had a 3.14% increase in “likes” since I posted a week ago.

If I were their marketing people, I’d be feeling quite pleased with a continued growth… 3.14% may not seem like a lot, in this case it means nearly 13000 new people liking their Facebook page in a week. That’s reasonable conversion. Let’s face it, marketing comes down to list building and conversion.

This could be organic growth given it’s a social media channel. Meaning that you ‘like’ KFC Australia, and it pops up on your newsfeed for your friends to read, they think “hmmm I like KFC” and also click the ‘like’ button. It could also be the traditional media they have plastered around the country-side driving fans to Facebook. Or it could also be a combination of both. Welcome to the exact science of marketing.

Interestingly enough though, the KFC Facebook page has reverted its profile pic to the revamped Colonel logo with the ‘So Good’ tag line and have lost the ‘Goodification’ campaign branding! (Their website and YouTube channel are still goodified though.) Is this about the natural progression of the rebranding strategy or is about KFC listening to dissatisfaction with their creative license with the English language? Personally I think it’s about progression of the strategy.

Ogilvy said straight up with the campaign launch it’s about bringing KFC back to their roots. Looking at their Facebook posts (and ignoring the ‘Goodification’ hype) it looks like that’s what they’re starting to do. Their wall is talking about the cricket (their major sponsorship deal), new products, and fluff interaction comments like “Nearly time for end of daylight saving. But I always find time for finger-lickin’ good chicken!”.

The page followers don’t seem to be so into the product pushing. They are quicker to point out that the ‘goodification’ hasn’t extended to staff training more than they’re keen to comment positively about the food. This raises two issues:

1. Unfortunately big campaigns have the habit of highlighting inefficiencies in businesses and it’s important to include your staff in the brand experience you’re trying to convey with your campaign.
2. Social media can create a new avenue for people to complain and it can dilute your message. It’s about managing the channel and remembering the social media, particularly Facebook, is essentially a virtual ‘face-to-face’ conversation and needs to be treated that way if it’s channel you’re going to use to communicate with your market. It’s first about building rapport, then about selling—not the other way around. Respect your fans!

Has it been a successful campaign? I don’t know. You’re talking about a mature brand which is a staple in the Aussie junk food market. It’s important for them to remain relevant to their customers, at the same time it’s KFC…!

Lesleigh Ross

Over the last decade Lesleigh Ross has been leading project and change teams in complex delivery environments and transformation projects across public, private and not-for-profit sectors.
Leigh is highly skilled in industry best practice methodologies and frameworks which is demonstrated through her ability to deliver quality business outcomes across ‘green fields’ and recovery projects and programmes.
As a ‘digital native’ Leigh believes delivering innovation in business is only possible through collaborative project design where the business and technical teams work hand in hand. A geek in her own right Leigh is able to “degeek the geek” and facilitate effective engagement through all stages of project delivery.
Leigh is the current Queensland Lead for the Change Management Institute and a proud member of the Australian Institute of Project Management and the International Centre of Complex Project Management. She is active in her local chapters and national interest groups which are focused on improving the professionalism, diversity and inclusion within the project management community.