KFC Malaysia faces social media backlash

With the number of Facebook users in Malaysia at over 10 million, many brands are using the platform to publicise their promotions on the free platform, including fast food chains such as Burger King and KFC Malaysia.But KFC Malaysia's launch of an online voucher for a free double zinger burger combo on Facebook, only to retract it on the same day, has drawn massive criticism of the brand in social media.

In a response to Campaign's queries, the fast food chain said the online voucher was done in-house, and that the incident occurred because “all the allocated stocks for the online promotion have finished” due to the overwhelming response.

KFC recently appointed BBDO/Proximity Malaysia as its creative agency, and UM Malaysia as its media agency, after calling for “all-new agency” pitch for both duties.

The voucher, which was supposed to valid until 15 January with any purchase, was rolled out on Wednesday (14 December) but was withdrawn by the evening as “the allocated stocks for this online promotion is finished”.

Nevertheless, this response failed to explain why KFC was closing off the promotion abruptly and this Facebook post alone had received more than 4,000 comments at press time. Some claimed that they have submitted their complaints to the Ministry of Domestic Trade, Cooperative and Consumerism, while some users said several restaurants are still selling Double Zinger Burger.

The terms & conditions stated “offer is valid until stocks last”, and that only printed colour and black/white would be accepted for redemption. The photo has since been deleted from the KFC official Facebook page.

Malaysia Facebook users have been quick to respond, setting up Facebook pages to boycott KFC's products and brands, until at least 15 January. The Facebook pages are “Let’s boycott KFC (Malaysia) because its failed”; as well as Kupon (coupon in Bahasa) Free Cancelled (KFC).

Yeow Mei Ling, managing consultant at Text 100 Malaysia & APAC Sales Lead, said while the online promotion is a new innovation in the food industry, the background and in-store planning should have been part and parcel of gearing-up and managing the influx of customers wanting to redeem the promotion.

“Withdrawing the promotion so quickly after its announcement basically tells KFC fans that either the promotion was not well thought out or it might have been a marketing gimmick rather than an authentic promotion to reward its valued fans,” she told Campaign.

She added that a heartfelt apology goes a long way in situations where a mistake has been made, and that it may be more beneficial for the brand to be authentic and provide real insight to its fans as to why.

“Transparency is the key to managing the online outcry.  Perhaps sharing how many vouchers had been downloaded in the span of a day, concerns that the front-line would be unable to manage or perhaps setting the number of vouchers that could be redeemed at each store every day.”

This is not the first time KFC Malaysia has faced social media disaster. Several months ago, two scandalous video on the misconduct of KFC Malaysia’s kitchen staff were widely spread on social media, particularly on Facebook.

Nevertheless, the fast food chain was quick to handle the crisis, and did it well. With Ogilvy PR's help they launched a Facebook tab, called ‘KFC responds’, with two Youtube videos addressing the problem and set up a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). The videos communicated its sincere apology, and the incident came to a graceful close within a few days.

It is worth noting how KFC plans to tackle the social media disaster this time. Ogilvy PR were unable to comment and said their help has not been enlisted on this occasion.

Facebook users have slammed the fast food chain for the decision to retract the voucher. With some calling it the “joke of the year”, a couple of the Facebook users criticised the marketing team of not doing the planning properly before launching the promotion.

While some understand that it is part of KFC’s marketing strategy to promote new products on a free platform, they also recognise that it might end up damaging the brand image.

Aggressive Facebook users also call KFC a “liar” and “cheating”, comparing it to promotions of other fast food chains earlier, such as McDonald’s, Subway and Burger King.

Its subsequent posts on other event and videos have also received more than 400 comments in total, which highlight the issue of the online vouchers.

Yeow noted that while an incident like this may not irredeemably damage the reputation of a fast food chain with a long history and strong following beyond the digital community, it will cause fans to pause and dredge it up again the next time KFC decides to launch another eVoucher campaign.

“And the next time all efforts should go into ensuring that the campaign is rolled out flawlessly!” she said.