KFC SA
KFC SOUTH AFRICA
A Chicken Coup
for KFC in South Africa PRODUCTION: Timothy Reeder
Despite a brutally competitive fast food, and particularly fried chicken, market, KFC is the dominant fast food chain in South Africa, serving over 20 million customers each month in its more than 800 outlets across the country.
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KFC is the most popular chicken restaurant chain across the globe, perhaps most widely renowned for its world-famous Original Recipe® fried chicken which is today a fast food staple of millions. The creation of Colonel Harland Sanders’s more than 75 years ago, a recipe which began life merely as a simple list of secret herbs
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and spices scratched on the back of his kitchen door, has led KFC to boast a footprint today consisting of in excess of 20,000 restaurants in more than 125 countries worldwide. Largely through carefully selecting franchise partners around the world, KFC has become one of the fastest growing retail brands both in emerging
and developed markets alike, and first took on the South African competition in 1971. Over nearly 50 years KFC has striven to deliver the great tasting chicken so well known and loved to its many millions of clients each month, giving it a strong brand heritage in South Africa and seeing KFC indelibly weaved into its customers’ lives.
INDUSTRY FOCUS: FOOD & DRINK
// KFC IS ONE OF THE MOST LOVED BRANDS IN SOUTH AFRICA, AND WE ARE SO EXCITED THAT UBEREATS CAN HELP BRING EATERS THE KFC MEALS THEY’VE SO DESPERATELY CRAVED // REWARDING ADVERTISING It is only possible to stand so far ahead of the other players, in what is known to be one of the most competitive markets in the country, if you are constantly catching the eye of possible consumers. KFC is acutely aware of this, and was recently named as one of the biggest winners at the 2018 instalment of the annual Bookmark Awards in March. The initiative is designed to celebrate excellence in digital and the impact that interactive has on the overall marketing mix. KFC scooped the most highly sought-after award on the night, announced by the IAB SA at a glittering
event held in Kyalami, taking home the coveted title of Brand of the Year. Its partnership with Ogilvy & Mather SA, the industry leader focused on building and transforming brands and the other notable winner on the night, continues to reap the highest rewards. Ogilvy was itself presented with four ‘Gold Pixel’ trophies at the ceremony, the last of which was for its ‘Suppertime Stories’ work for KFC in the Innovative Use of Media category, only the most recent in a long line of examples where the companies’ partnership has caught the eye of the wider public. Ben Schoderer, digital manager of Yum!
Restaurants, the fast food company which operates KFC worldwide, also won the Best Marketer Award. It was a richly deserved success for the two companies, and Chairman of the M&C Saatchi Group and Jury President of the IAB SA Bookmarks 2018, Jerry Mpufane, spoke of the rationale behind the awards’ existence, and their importance. “The Bookmark Awards are an interesting window into modern and cutting-edge advertising,” he explained. “The great brands entered their work, and I know I speak on behalf of the jurors when I say that we saw some worthy winners. The case study entries challenged the way we look at advertising, elicited some heated debates about what works and what doesn’t, and mostly some lessons came out which can be applied into the future – and that’s very exciting.” OVERWHELMING FAVOURITE This was not the only recognition received by KFC in recent times. It was also, in late 2017, named as South Africa’s favourite fast food restaurant in the latest Sunday Times Top Brands awards, beating Nando’s and Debonair’s Pizza to claim the top spot, in research conducted by market research agency Kantar TNS. KFC not only won the top fast food brand award, but also, perhaps even more significantly, were garnished with the overall grand prix award. This feat means that it was calculated to be the absolute favourite brand in the polls, followed by the electronics giant Samsung. “The work behind this has been immense,” said KFC marketing manager Jacques Cronje, “it represents a couple of years of consistent hard work when we started the journey to contemporise the brand and speak to consumers
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Helping great products reach more people more easily
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We believe packaging can achieve: Reduced resource usage and product wastage / Lowered health risks / Improved economic efficiency We have a broad range of high quality packaging solutions for modern foodservice, vending and fast moving consumer goods. Our technologies include paper and plastic forming, so you can always find the right solution to fit your specific needs. Our packaging is proven and tested in use by many of the world’s leading quick service, fast casual and coffee chains.
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in a new and fresh way. For me as a marketer and for the marketing team at KFC this is wonderful, as it means we are doing the right things – things that are resonating with consumers.” KFC has also capitalised on the newest technology at its disposal and partnered with UberEATS, the online meal delivery service operated by Uber, in June. Nic Robertson, general manager for UberEATS South Africa, stated: “KFC is one of the most loved brands in South Africa, and we are so excited that UberEATS can help bring eaters the KFC meals they’ve so desperately craved.” MISSING CHICKEN For any business, especially one as successful and heavily relied upon as KFC, a shortage of the one product for which it is best known
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is far from a desired situation, at any time. KFC was left somewhat red-faced earlier this year when its fried chicken was, in unprecedented circumstances, absent from hundreds of its restaurants across the UK following a logistics crisis with its new supplier. KFC’s own words of the adverts published in the wake of the mix up summed up the situation most succinctly: “A chicken restaurant without any chicken. It’s not ideal. Huge apologies to our customers.” KFC in the UK has since signed a new long-term contract with former supplier, South African company Bidvest, which has several distribution depots across the country. Bidvest commented that “as the UK’s leading food service logistics specialist, we understand the complexities of delivering fresh
chicken,” the Guardian newspaper reported. FIGHT AGAINST HUNGER Earlier in March, staff at the Dalton branch of KFC displayed the social awareness of the brand by handing over a R45,000 cheque to Vianney Children’s Home in Ndwedwe, to contribute to the home’s feeding scheme. Every R2 that KFC customers donate to Add Hope, combined with KFC social-investment contributions, goes to sustainable feeding programmes to feed over 120,000 children at 25 national and 113 local beneficiaries. Vianney Children’s Home is part of the local beneficiary programme, founded in 1962 as a non-profit organisation that provides temporary residence, a Child and Youth Care Programme and support for
KFC SA
// WE ARE VERY EXCITED ABOUT THE IMPLEMENTATION OF RENEWABLE ENERGY SOLUTIONS IN OUR RESTAURANTS // orphans and other vulnerable children and their families in the area. Lethiwe Mazibuko, who runs the charity, said: “With a high unemployment rate and a lack of resources in the area, some parents cannot afford to feed or send their children to school. With Add Hope funding, the home is able to feed vulnerable children nutritious meals every day, as well as provide a safe place that orphans can call home. We are very
grateful for this funding, which will help us make a real difference to children and families here.” GOING SOLAR AKM Foods currently owns 34 KFC outlets across the Eastern Cape, and recently made waves by revealing that working with Solar Africa had allowed four of these to be converted to some of the very first solar-powered restaurants in Port Elizabeth. Nishid Dosa, Principle Operator of AKM Foods, explained that the success of this initial foray would see the conversion extended much further: “We are excited about the introduction of solar and green energy in our stores and are satisfied with the results thus far. Currently only four stores are being piloted, and the plan is to roll out to other stores.” Dosa added that the switch
to Solar power was prompted by the large square meterage in roof space at the majority of the stores, which is ideal for the introduction of solar. KFC Africa chief executive Doug Smart, meanwhile, concluded that this move toward solar clearly displays the company’s commitment to lessen its carbon footprint as its presence continues to grow. “As one of the country’s most loved food brands, KFC remains committed to supporting our franchise partners uphold environmental standards,” he commented. “We are very excited about the implementation of this renewable energy solution in our restaurants.”
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