INTRODUCTION TO KFC KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) is a fast food restaurant chain headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, United States,
which specializes in fried chicken. An "American icon", it is the world's largest fried chicken chain and the third largest restaurant chain overall after Subway and McDonald's, with over 17,000 outlets in 115 countries and territories as of December 2011. KFC was founded by Harland Sanders, who began selling fried chicken from his roadside restaurant in Corbin, Kentucky during the Great Depression. Sanders was an early pioneer of the restaurant franchising concept, with the first "Kentucky Fried Chicken" franchise opening in Utah in the early 1950s. Its rapid expansion saw it grow too large for Sanders to manage, and he eventually sold the company to a group of investors. As "Colonel Sanders", his image was still used for branding purposes, and he worked as a goodwill ambassador for the company until shortly before his death. In the early 1970s, KFC was sold to the spirits firm Heinlein, who was taken over by the R.J. Reynolds conglomerate, who sold the chain to PepsiCo. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, KFC experienced mixed success at home as it went through a series of corporate owners who had little or no experience in the restaurant business, although it continued to expand in overseas markets. Since the late 1980s, the chain has expanded rapidly in China, to make the country its second largest market. PepsiCo spun off its restaurants division (also including Pizza Hut and Taco Bell), as Tricon Global Restaurants, which later changed its name to Yum! Brands. The chain primarily sells fried chicken pieces and variations such as chicken burgers ("chicken sandwiches" in the US) and wraps, salads and side dishes such as French fries and coleslaw, desserts and soft drinks, often supplied by PepsiCo. Its most famous product is pressure fried chicken pieces, seasoned
with Sanders' "Original Recipe" of 11 herbs and spices. The exact nature of these ingredients are unknown, and represent a notabletrade secret. KFC is famous for the slogan "finger lickin' good", which has since been replaced by "Nobody does chicken like KFC" and "So good". KFC's two major single markets are in its home country and China, which together contain around half of its outlets. KFC has been the target of an ongoing campaign by the animal rights organization PETA, although KFC executives have protested that the chain is unfairly singled out for criticism. Marketing Strategy Marketing strategy is a process that can allow an organization to concentrate its resources on the optimal opportunities with the goals of increasing sales and achieving a sustainable competitive advantage.[1] Marketing strategy includes all basic and long-term activities in the field of marketing that deal with the analysis of the strategic initial situation of a company and the formulation, evaluation and selection of market-oriented strategies and therefore contribute to the goals of the company and its marketing objectives. Marketing strategies serve as the fundamental underpinning of marketing plans designed to fill market needs and reach marketing objectives.[3] Plans and objectives are generally tested for measurable results. Commonly, marketing strategies are developed as multi-year plans, with a tactical plan detailing specific actions to be accomplished in the current year. Time horizons covered by the marketing plan vary by company, by industry, and by nation, however, time horizons are becoming shorter as the speed of change in the environment increases.[4] Marketing strategies are dynamic and interactive. They are partially planned and partially unplanned.
