Love this example of Marketing as Service by KFC as reported by Louisville Business Journal:
Yum Brands Inc. subsidiary KFC has offered its services to Louisville-Jefferson County Metro Government to fill the city’s potholes.
Hiring a road crew for its “pilot infrastructure renewal program,” the restaurant chain has pledged to conduct street repairs, which would include the message “Re-Freshed by KFC” stenciled in temporary street chalk.
As part of the marketing effort, KFC randomly will choose four other U.S. cities whose mayors describe to the company their cities’ needs for street repairs, according to a news release.
“Budgets are tight for cities across the country, and finding funding for needed road repairs is a continuing challenge,” Louisville Metro Mayor Jerry Abramson said in the release. “It’s great to have a concerned corporation like KFC create innovative private/public partnerships like this pothole refresh program.”
So, KFC fixes the pothole and then spray paints a logo on the fresh asphalt. And to increase the news value, they hire an actor who looks like Colonel Sanders to do the spray painting. Talk about leaving your mark on the road less traveled! While this has little to do with “finger lickin’ good chicken,” KFC certainly drives away from this with lots of good press and good will.
