Finger-pickin’ good

Music is the food of love

What?: A recent paparazzi shot of Rihanna and Chris Brown kissing and cuddling in a Miami KFC has launched a bizarre promotional campaign. Rihanna has been offered a free KFC meal by the company’s Chief Marketing Officer in an open letter.

“Clearly, like our founder Colonel Sanders, you two know how to kick it up a few degrees. We could feel the heat – literally –in our restaurant that night. So much so that we’d like to invite you and Chris back to any KFC for a free meal,” stated KFC’s James O’Reilly. He also extended a charity donation offer to Rihanna’s BELIVE charity if the pair set foot in the restaurant again.

“Please don’t stop making KFC your favorite mealtime choice. Good luck to you, and we hope to see you again soon, with or without an Umbrella.”

So what?: “Hearing about your fondness for KFC was music to our ears,” states the letter. The money saved on their endorsement budget was also undoubtedly music to their cash flow too. However, KFC is not the first to cash in free marketing dollars from an impromptu endorsement. Popeye’s Chicken guaranteed Beyoncé a lifetime supply of chicken a few years ago after she commented on the product on a chat show.

“This echoes a similar piece of ‘jump-on’ marketing that Dr. Pepper did with Guns N’ Roses. Capitalising on celebrity news is cost-effective but also a gamble. Without proper partnerships in place, there is a danger it could backfire if the artists choose to distance themselves from association with the product.”
Giles Fitzgerald, Deputy Editor, Five Eight

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