Saturday, February 25, 2006
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- Psstt. KFC wants to share a secret. No, not THAT secret.
Colonel Sanders' herbs-and-spices recipe for Kentucky Fried Chicken is still safely locked away, but the chain unveiled a new TV ad Thursday that allows viewers to crack a hidden message if they play the spot back slowly on a digital video recorder or VCR.
The gimmick is aimed at countering the rise of technology that enables television viewers to skip past commercials faster than ever before.
"This is taking the exact opposition approach -- rewarding viewers for taking the time to engage and be interactive with television," said Tom O'Keefe, an executive at Foote Cone & amp; Belding, the advertising agency that created the spot for KFC Corp.
For those savvy enough to solve the secret, the prize is a coupon for KFC's new, sauce-drenched Buffalo Snacker chicken sandwich. The 99-cent Snacker debuted a year ago and is credited in KFC's earnings rebound.
The secret message explaining how to redeem the free sandwich offer is planted in just a few of the spot's frames and revealed when replayed in slow motion.
"To the naked eye, it's a typical KFC television commercial," O'Keefe said.
Technology that allows viewers to fast-forward past commercials -- particularly DVRs that zip through ads in a flash -- has been a headache for the television industry and advertisers. But analysts say KFC may be on to something.
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