Amidst all the PR back slapping and applause on how KFC dealt with their latest “crisis” (and I have to admit they dealt with it brilliantly), I can’t help wondering if, actually, it was easy enough to deal with in good humour, simply because it wasn’t that much of a crisis.
Lets forget the more serious side of crisis management for a moment (I wouldn’t have wanted to be on the Oxfam press team over the past few weeks) – we are talking about a shortage of chicken. Has the world gone mad?
Yes it was probably a major crisis for KFC in terms of chicken sales (or lack of) – but I am struggling to see the genuine crisis for the consumer.
If we had limited access to milk powder formula and we were struggling to feed our babies, or God forbid the world ran out of tampons or ibuprofen for a short while – now THAT would be a situation worth losing our collective minds over.
But we’re talking about poultry pieces (is it even free-range?) deep fried in a lardy – but actually quite delicious if you’re hungover – coating. What catastrophic outcome could this really have?
The worst part of the media coverage for me was a cringe worthy news report I saw on TV where they had roped this little girl, with her dad in to stand outside KFC and talk on camera about how disappointed she was that she had come for her dinner (I’m not judging), to find there was none. She was practically in tears. What would they do?
Well McDonalds is usually just around the corner from KFC, so I’m sure the poor mite survived with a box of nuggets instead, washed down with a litre of full fat coke and all was finally well with the world.
Crisis averted!???