By now you’ve probably heard about the KFC Super Bowl “Chicken Dance” promotion. I sure did — on local TV newscasts in three different cities on three different days. I can only imagine how many other stations and papers carried the story, which probably cost KFC almost nothing to create and most likely reaped them millions of dollars in “free” editorial coverage.
In case you did miss it, the fast food chain announced that it would donate $260,000 to charity in the name of the first member of the New England Patriots or New York Giants who performs the chicken dance after scoring a touchdown at this year’s Super Bowl. Knowing that news organizations are dying for anything remotely interesting to say about the game, KFC wisely announced the promotion one week in advance of the game before the real media blitz kicked in.
It’s no secret they also knew the NFL would not react kindly to the promotion since KFC isn’t an official sponsor of the Super Bowl, ensuring the story would live for more than one day. On top of that, NFL player agents are now contacting the company about the proposed offer. Sounds like a few smart chickens over at KFC.
On the flip side, I’ve noticed here in Boston what appears to be another new form of advertising that I haven’t seen in other parts of the country just yet. I don’t know if this has been going on where you live, but the appearance of advertising on my dry cleaning seems like another desperate attempt by an industry scrambling for new ways to reach (and apparently annoy) consumers. Even the ad’s tagline, “Dry Humor, Clean Fun,” for the TBS Bill Engvall makes me wince. I doubt I’ll be tuning in to watch just because they’ve plastered an intrusive message on the side of a plastic bag. I’m curious to know if others have seen this form of advertising in their neck of the woods.
3 comments ↓
It’s like they’re trying to get ads on every surface of the world. Well, that might be too much of an exaggeration but isn’t that the basic idea for putting ads on buses, too? I think they’re called transit ads… While that idea seems to have worked, seeing another ad on your dry cleaning plastic probably won’t have the same positive effect. Makes me wonder what they’ll think of next.
The first instance of dry cleaning ad placements that I am aware of was for the TV show Desperate Housewives a few years ago. The placement idea won a number of ad awards. Here is a link to a NY Times article on the unique ads
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11.....;position=
Advertising placements have become so ubiquitous and people are tuning things out more and more that breakthrough placements, like dry cleaning bags, are becoming ever more popular. The trend is definitely toward more intrusive placements.
Thanks guys - I didn’t think this could have been brand new. Appreciate the heads up.
Mike
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