KFC is reacting to increasing competition in the food sector by overhauling its marketing strategy.
According to Meghan Farren, Chief Marketing Officer at KFC for UK and Ireland, the emergence of delivery services such as Deliveroo has created new competition for the fast food sector.
This, she said, has prompted fast food retailers to spend much more heavily on marketing than they were doing three to five years ago.
“Especially with new delivery players, we want to cut through to consumers, so everything we do looks and feels KFC,” Ms Farren commented.
As part of this effort, KFC has been trialling its own delivery services, created an app to enable people to order food digitally and devised a new visual identity, as well as switched to a wittier and less “shouty” tone of voice.
“We are probably the most strongly associated brand when it comes to chicken and great taste, which we have spent many years in the past communicating,” Ms Farren said.
However, she stated that more needs to be done to build the brand to a point where people feel an emotional connection with KFC.
Ms Farren went on to stress that convenience and value are at the heart of what the company is about and said this will not change.
Nevertheless, she stated that KFC still needs to work hard to “stay relevant” in the face of a changing operating environment.
KFC moves on from ‘shouty’ messaging to build brand love Marketing Week
