Oprah and KFC cause havoc

Last week, to help promote their new grilled chicken option, a lower-calorie alternative to their Original Recipe, Kentucky Fried Chicken teamed up with Oprah Winfrey to offer a limited time coupon that offers a free two piece meal with sides and biscuits to its customers.

An overwhelming response of roughly 4 million people slammed KFC stores like a Tsunami, leaving angry and unfulfilled crowds nationwide when KFC stores ran out of chicken, and couldn't fulfill the offer.

KFC President Roger Eaton had to write a note of apology to would-be freeloaders who flocked to Oprah's Web site to download their coupons. "We are so sorry," he wrote, "but due to the overwhelming response to our FREE Kentucky Grilled Chicken meal coupon, we can no longer redeem the free coupon at this time." The company offered rain checks, along with a free Pepsi, to customers turned away at store locations.

Oprah's decision to put her name on KFC's promotion turned quickly into a PR nightmare and may have a lasting impact on both brands.

KFC's Bruised Brand
KFC's brand has been battered throughout its history. Founder and icon Col. Sanders often was criticized for how his image and product reinforced racial stereotypes, especially for a company headquartered in the Southern United States. Yum! Brands, the parent company for KFC, has also been bruised over the years with accusations of irresponsible food practices around the world including the treatment of chickens and concentrated animal feeding operations.

The failure to plan for and fulfill the offer is Have KFC executives' ever watched Oprah give stuff away on her show? What did they think was going to happen? This type of promotion has no margin for error. The exposure from Oprah, the national media attention all requires almost perfect execution - not just at the KFC corporate level, but at each store location.

Especially after Denny's restaurant's successful free Denny's Grand Slam breakfast promotion in February. That promotion also received high-profile promotion during a 30-second Super Bowl television spot. Denny's, which has 1,541 restaurants, estimated that about 1.5 million customers redeemed the breakfast offer but industry analysts say it may have seen more than 2 million.

In the end, instead of building business, KFC seems to have added to its bruised reputation and this time, it might not be recoverable - since service is key in the quick service industry.

The "Oprah" Brand
Simply stated the Oprah Winfrey brand - from her TV show, to O! Magazine, even her upcoming TV network - is all about "living your best life."

I'm not sure how Oprah is able to reconcile her message of healthier and greener options with her giving away free fast-food meals to the public. I suppose the argument is that if many people still go to fast food restaurants for meals, it's important to promote the healthiest options at those restaurants.

There's also something troubling about a campaign in which a black woman is the spokesperson for providing hundreds of people with grilled chicken. This collaboration has simply given media the opportunity to reinforce racist stereotypes.

My question is why Oprah would lend her name to KFC, which is a primary target of animal rights activists who say the chain uses suppliers-chiefly Tyson Foods (TSN)-that house chickens in deplorable conditions before killing them in a deplorable manner.

Oprah has repeatedly railed against factory farming and was once targeted by the meat industry for her on-air avowal to avoid burgers.

Paula Crossfield of Civil Eats wrote in The Huffington Post that because "Oprah has marketed herself as one who cares about animals, even getting a 'Person of the Year' award last year from PETA, this KFC campaign is a serious disappointment to say the least."