A major supply chain issue forced KFC to temporarily close hundreds of stores around the country earlier this year, equating to £1 million loss of revenue per day. The story quickly became front page news with global news outlets picking up on the chicken crisis.

In a bid to take control of the situation and demonstrate humility and humour, KFC used newsbrands to say “we’re sorry”. Newspapers were able to deliver a timely and powerful message to a large-scale audience in a trustworthy environment, while encouraging conversation and generating a positive sentiment.

With a simple, clever play on letters, the brand made a bold and honest apology directly to their customers, using cheeky humour that reinforced KFC’s brand values. Having averted a crisis, the brand was praised for facing up to the issue, with 733 articles dedicated to KFC ‘FCK’. The reaction was overwhelmingly positive and KFC enjoyed a marked increase in its trustworthy measure following the campaign.