Yum! Brands Plays Chicken With KFC

Motley Fool:

Sometimes, doing nothing is better than doing something wrong. While executives at Yum! Brands are clucking that Kentucky Fried Chicken’s grilled chicken promotion was a huge success, more casual observers note that running a meal giveaway, then cancelling it when the system was overwhelmed by the response, just might put the eatery’s reputation in the deep fryer.
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Finger lickin’ not-so-good
KFC teamed up with the queen of product-plugging, Oprah Winfrey, to promote a coupon download for two free pieces of grilled chicken, two side orders, and a biscuit. On cue, the Big O’s devotees jammed checkout lines and backed up drive-thrus in a mad dash for free eats, only to have their feathers ruffled after restaurants ran out.

But rumors of rioting and people running around like, well, chickens with their heads cut off, were a little overdone.

Still, executives should have been prepared; after all, Oprah’s stock club has been picking winners for years. Deckers Outdoors, for example, is still a thriving business because of her endorsement of its Uggs sheepskin boots, even when every indication suggests that fashionistas should be over the fad by now. The Kindle also remains a top gadget at Amazon.com after Oprah put the e-reader on her bestsellers list.

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