// CHANGED PERCEPTIONS OF KFC
// DELIVERED SALES LIFT
// ACHIEVED 21 MINUTES OF NATIONAL TV AND RADIO
OBJECTIVE
Open KFC’s 500th store in Cardiff and generate national exposure for the brand.
SOLUTION
Storm turned a local restaurant opening into a national business story by focusing on the company’s expansion plans, using the 500th restaurant as a landmark, and positioning the chain as an innovator in the fast-food sector which was driving this growth. An exclusive interview was set up with a Sunday business national, and all other nationals and business broadcast media were approached as a ‘Sunday for Monday’ story focussing on the job creation figures. Locally in Cardiff a celebrity launch event in aid of charity was held to add theatre and local relevance.
RESULTS
KFC dominated the news agenda on the day of the launch. Over 20 minutes of national TV and radio coverage was generated on programmes from ‘Today’, GMTV, Sky News, Channel Five, BBC News 24 and CNBC, while a half page feature in The Business and The Independent ran along side news coverage in The Times, Mirror, The Sun, Express and Daily Star. Regionally KFC appeared on BBC TV Wales and S4C, as well as being a prominent news item on local radio and in the local daily papers.
KFC credited the opening coverage as lifting sales three index points on its sales chart, at a time when no TV advertising was taking place.