KFC President Bullshits His Way Through Interview
Still clinging to the notion that fried chicken is good for you, KFC President Gregg Dedrick gives PR shoveled, canned answers in this USA Today interview. Responding to a question about the recent KFC commercial claiming fried chicken is healthy by comparing it to Burger King's Whopper, Dedrick sticks by the health claims.
Q: When you claimed in TV spots that fried chicken could be part of a healthy diet, consumer groups and the FTC came after you. And some consumers laughed. If you had it to do over again, would you air the ads?A: The ads communicated facts that were very relevant to our consumers. It was surprising news. Customers reacted favorably. Our sales were up 1% (for the month of November.) It elicited a number of inquiries from our customer hotline.
And it validated what people had been doing already - the idea of peeling the skin back from the chicken breast. The idea that people can eat fried chicken and have less fat than a Whopper was relevant to our customers.
Q: But weren't you playing it fast and loose with the commercials? A tiny disclaimer at the bottom of the ad said that KFC chicken is not a low-fat, low-sodium, low-cholesterol food. You can't have it both ways.
A: We don't believe we were. We stated the facts as they exist. Our message was not intended to say that this was a health food - but that it's better for you than you think. The campaign was a set of commercials that run three to four weeks. It went off as planned.
Telling the truth would have made for a better interview.
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