A couple weeks ago, Jordan proposed that we all skip work one Friday afternoon and take in a showing of The Social Network. VendAsta bought our tickets and popcorn and we all had a lot of fun.
Yesterday, Jordan initiated a less wholesome group excursion:
Scott and I are gonna go to KFC to try the new Double Down. If anyone feels like clogging their arteries and fighting for the bathroom after consuming, they are more than welcome to tag along!
As you’ve no doubt already heard from late-night talk show hosts and outraged public health advocates, the Double Down is a novelty sandwich consisting of two strips of bacon and two slices of processed cheese pressed between two fried chicken breasts. It’s been available in the States for months but only just showed up here in Canada.
You have to tip your hat to KFC’s marketing acumen. KFC is selling a ton of these sandwiches, not in spite of their obvious disgustingness, but because of it. They’ve successfully branded the Double Down not as a food item but as an experience. The subtext for the marketing campaign is, “Look at this freaky thing we’re selling. Can you believe how freaky it is?”
Even the Google results wink at the sandwich’s unappetizingness:
It’s the culinary equivalent of the pickled punk.
From the marketer’s point of view, the great thing about this product is that it’s impervious to ridicule. Usually if you’re advertising a food item you don’t want to hear feedback like “clogging arteries” and “fighting for the bathroom”. Yet every time someone cracks a joke about how revolting the Double Down is, they reinforce KFC’s selling message. Every time some earnest nerd from the Sodium Working Group unzips her hemp anorak to declare that the Double Down represents a “worrisome trend”, KFC cash registers jingle.
Unfortunately, the “so bad it’s good” marketing message only works for a limited subset of products. I think here at VendAsta we’ll stick to making good software and selling it on its merits. But godspeed, KFC, for showing us that there is another path.
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