US: KFC has instructed its agencies to immediately discontinue a series of ads that have sparked a wave of complaints that the ads are deceptive.
Executives close to the situation said the chicken chain had made the decision “for brand protection reasons”, according to AdAge.com.
The controversial ads created by FCB launched on October 29 with the tagline “You’ve gotta KFC what’s cookin” and are part of a strategy by KFC to position its fried chicken as part of a healthy diet.
In one of the pulled ads, a wife who expresses concern about healthy eating offers her husband a bucket of fried chicken. Another of the ads features two young men discussing the dietary benefits of fried-chicken eating. The ads compare the fat content of its product to that of its competitors.
At the time of the campaign launch KFC’s executive vice president for marketing and food innovation Scott Bergren issued a statement saying, “Consumers should no longer feel guilty about eating fried chicken. We thought it was important to get this information to consumers so they can judge for themselves how to make KFC part of their healthy lifestyle”.
