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Video Clip of the Month: KFC Pinkwashing Parody

November 1, 2010 by

My November 2010 video clip of the month is an oldie but goodie. It’s a parody of last spring’s “Buckets for the Cure” fundraising partnership between KFC and Susan G. Komen for the Cure. The low-tech, cheaply produced parody video, by Greg and Lou, a New York City comedy duo, received 10,795 hits on YouTube as of Nov. 1, 2010. This is more than both of KFC’s high-tech and presumably expensive-to-produce “Buckets for the Cure” campaign videos: KFC Employees Do the Pink Bucket (8,893) and KFC Restaurant Painted Pink for “Buckets for the Cure” (9,892).

I picked the video because it is a warning to brands that if money ever clouds their values, goals, or common sense, the Web 2.0 world will quickly and cheaply point it out to the universe. Not only did the Komen/KFC debacle generate several counter videos on YouTube, it also generated a ton of bad press, mocking blog posts, and sarcastic tweets:

  • Ultimate “do the ends really justify the means?”: selling KFC (FRIED CHICKEN) to raise money for breast cancer?! U can’t make this shit up
  • What the Cluck? Tell KFC and Susan G. Komen for the Cure to stop pinkwashing!
  • Wait, so you buy a bucket of KFC to fight breast cancer? What do you buy to fight obesity and heart disease?
  • Boycott Kentucky Fried Chicken For Pinkwashing! http://deceiver.com/2010/04/26/kfc-battles-breast-cancer-wtih-carcinogenic-fried-foods/

Even without Web 2.0, the possibility of the campaign backfiring and hurting KFC and Komen’s credibility should have been obvious.  Komen’s own website addresses the link between obesity (which high fat fast foods contribute to) and breast cancer. Only a “Puffs for the Cure” partnership with Marlboro Cigarettes could have been worse.

What’s your take on the Komen-KFC deal? Please share your thoughts below.



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About Monica

Monica specializes in strategic communications, web and new media, and print materials with an international or multi-cultural context. She has worked on national public outreach campaigns targeting multi-cultural audiences and has conceptualized, written, and/or designed multiple websites. Monica also has written, edited, and/or designed high-profile newsletters, brochures, and reports, including some prepared in collaboration with the White House. She holds a bachelor’s in journalism and a master of international service with a focus on international communication. Monica is based in Washington, D.C.

Comments

  1. Susan Fan says:
    November 1, 2010 at 8:09 pm

    Your article makes it sound like the campaign was a disaster. If you looke at Susan G. Komen for the Cure’s website at http://ww5.komen.org/KomenNewsArticle.aspx?id=6442452377, you’ll see the campaign raised Komen more than $4.2 million, which was the single largest donation in its history. That’s hardly a failure.

  2. Monica says:
    November 6, 2010 at 1:14 pm

    Thanks for your comment. Yes, indeed, Komen did net a huge donation via the campaign. But it came at the price of Komen’s reputation. When you run a Google search of KFC and Komen, you mostly get negative commentary. That is not a good outcome! Of course, whether Komen’s donations will be impacted long-term has yet to be seen.