Agility, nimbleness and maintaining brand voice has defined how KFC has adapted to the pandemic, says to Marketing Director Jack Hinchcliffe.

Speaking at MAD//Anywhere on 12 Nov, Hinchcliffe told attendees that it was crucial to make painful decisions swiftly, such as the decision to pull KFC’s iconic Finger Lickin’ Good slogan back in August.

Whilst KFC has had to make difficult brand calls during the pandemic, Hinchcliffe said he didn’t want to fall into the trap of being overly sentimental and losing KFC’s distinctive tongue in cheek tone: “Whilst everyone played the violin, we wanted to play the banjo.”

In the video below, Hinchcliffe also explains how KFC has harnessed its fans to create effective  social content on a global scale and played a role in culture “without selling anything”.

Hinchcliffe’s session featured alongside speakers including S4 Capital Executive Chairman Sir Martin Sorrell, Patagonia Marketing Director Alex Weller and Not On The High St CMO Ella D’Amato. The event also featured £20k innovation pitches for personalisation and digital brand experience briefs provided by McCormick and Diageo.

MAD//Fest will be making session highlights available over the coming weeks.