KFC Malaysia needs proactive approach to PR: industry players

PR and media experts have criticised KFC Malaysia's treatment of its latest PR problem, in which the alleged assault of a customer was caught on video and sent viral, especially in light of its other recent PR woes.

Jim Goh, CEO of Briq Communications, said the brand has to be more transparent, while putting out positive statements to curb the situation. “People are hiding behind (social media) anonymously, they could be anyone with hidden agendas and can do practically anything. At the same time, people have a lot of questions and KFC needs to come out to make everything clear and calm them down,” he told Campaign.

Citing the example of Airbus’ recent A380 wing-crack problems, Goh noted that the CEO stepped up, explained the problems and managed them. Such a move, he added, can help restore customer confidence.

The most recent incident has turned into a PR disaster for KFC with its brand image being seriously damaged, with netizens posting several videos and images that criticise the brand, online.

David Ko, executive vice president, Asia Pacific at Waggener Edstrom Worldwide, "It took KFC too long to express their care and concern, as well as apologise for a rogue employee's unacceptable behavior. It was slow to show their concern for their customers, and their service philosophy was not upheld in this instance. I would not say KFC was singled out, but their handling of the incident’s aftermath incurred public wrath in a way that could have been prevented.

"In this day and age, consumers are exposed to various public communication platforms, with the Internet being a key component. They are not just viewing content but contributing and exchanging with others as well. Social media and other online avenues are not nice-to-have marketing tactics anymore. If brands want to connect and interact with their customers, they need to explore all the available platforms that impact them directly or indirectly," Ko told Campaign.

To recap, the alleged assault happened when customers, some of whom had been waiting for 45 minutes at a KFC outlet in I-City, were told that the outlet had run out of chicken. Among these customers were those waiting to redeem vouchers that included admission to the I-City ferris wheel, snow house and outdoor rides.

One of the customers then requested the management apologise, with the incident culminating with what appears to be a KFC staff-member landing a punch on the customer. The incident was filmed and has since gone viral.

The KFC management subsequently released a video, stating that it had lodged a police report on the alleged assault and the team had been suspended. The video has since received over 2,400 comments on its official Facebook page. The wall of the Facebook page is also flooded with thousands of comments, a mix of positive and negative, related to the incident.

Ko noted that this public scandal underlines the importance of a quick-response crisis communications process, particularly important for consumer brands such as KFC. Ultimately, it is the critical brand reputation at-large and the customer needs to be placed at the heart of all communication efforts.

"In this incident, to a certain extent KFC was at the mercy of a rogue employee, who engaged in unacceptable behavior, whether provoked or otherwise. KFC could have stood up immediately and apologised, describing potential disciplinary action, regardless of whether it was provoked. They did not, and as a result, there could be long-term negative impact on this international brand."

An industry observer in the region said it is necessary for KFC to keep explaining online and be more proactive in solving this crisis as it is a consumer-driven brand. “They (KFC) might question why they need to do all these but to resolve the problem, KFC should make a statement of explanation, stating the disciplinary actions that it is going to take against the staff involved. As for the videos and images, I think they are being abused,” he said.

Industry players noted that it is common to see big brands like KFC being attacked whenever anything goes wrong, and that this might be an isolated case. Nevertheless, given that this is the third major social media backlash against the brand in less than a year, KFC should review its overall marketing and communication policies.

The industry observer noted that the brand has to tighten its policies when it comes to running a campaign. “When you run a campaign, it is not good to have any problems. They need to look at where the gap is and improve from there.”

Goh agrees. “When you serve millions of people, PR and marcomms (marketing communications) have to look at the root of the problem. In this case, something is not right that the outlet ran out of chicken in the first place. Or was there anything that happened to the employees at that moment to cause this?”