Just Chew It: KFC
Owned by the world’s largest fast-food company, Yum Brands, which also owns Pizza Hut and Taco Bell. Yum Brands has worldwide sales of US$11 billion and spends US$1.4 billion a year on advertising.
Ad spend Australia $40 million
Sport: KFC is a Gold Partner of Cricket Australia. It spends $8 million a year on marketing and promotion tied to the sport and gets TV ads, a Classic Catches competition, endorsements from commentators and billboards at the grounds. It also gets naming rights for the KFC Big Bash Twenty20 competition, televised by Fox Sports, and the title of Australian cricket’s official fast-food restaurant. KFC also sponsors Victorian Champions League soccer, plus rugby in Sydney and Grafton, NSW. https://www.sportingpulse.com/club_info.cgi?c=7-1013-21877-0-0
Stars: Ricky Ponting, Mitchell Johnson, Michael Clarke, Doug Bollinger and the Australian Test team; cricket commentators Tony Greig and Bill Lawry; swimmer Libby Trickett.
Targeting kids: Thousands of kids watch cricket on TV and worship the Australian cricket team. Former Test cricketer Stuart MacGill says: ‘KFC and Cricket Australia are hitting parents where they’re vulnerable. They’re already under a lot of pressure from kids to buy this stuff and when you get the Australian cricket team endorsing it you just increase that pressure. It’s just wrong in so many ways’. KFC runs ‘community programs to encourage young people to play the game and be active’—not to mention, eat KFC.
The ads: KFC’s Tower burger ads during the cricket used Bill Lawry, Tony Greig and Doug Bollinger.
In 2009, Libby Trickett was paid to be the face of a $35 million marketing campaign.
Food Facts: KFC’s Zinger Tower Burger has 655 calories (a third of the adult recommended daily intake) and 32.5 grams (6 teaspoons) of fat (almost half the RDI). Add French fries and you get 910 calories and 45 grams of fat. You’ll be walking a long way to burn that off.
Expert verdict: ‘KFC has no redeeming nutritional qualities, and is full of fat and kilojoules, and is the sort of food product that displaces more nutritious foods (like a home cooked dinner of chicken and vegetables). It’s the worst of all. Kathy Chapman, NSW Cancer Council nutritionist.
