News Analysis
KFC On DVRs: 'We're Not Chicken'
The fast-food restaurant unveils a new commercial showing it's not afraid of ad-skipping TiVo owners.
By Phillip Swann

Washington, D.C. (February 24, 2006) --The Digital Video Recorder, which easily enables viewers to fast-forward past recorded commercials, has some companies saying they will cut back on their TV advertising. They say they are afraid that their commercials will go unseen.

But one company isn't chicken. Or, perhaps I should say, it isn't afraid.

KFC, the fast-food restaurant that specializes in fried chicken products, is running a commercial that includes a secret message that tells you how to win a free chicken sandwich. Viewers can only see the hidden code by playing the spot frame-by-frame or in slow motion, something that's easily done with a DVR.

The company hopes that the advertising gimmick will curb the viewer's temptation to skip the ad with a DVR remote.

I think the ad is brilliant and is evidence that the DVR could actually help the 30-second commercial rather than kill it, as some have suggested.

There's no question that the DVR makes it easier to skip commercials, but the KFC ad demonstrates that the advertising industry will adjust to the change. Future TV commercials will include more DVR gimmicks and other techniques to stop viewers before they skip.

To learn more about the KFC spot, click: Here

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Phillip Swann is president and publisher of TVPredictions.com. He has been quoted in dozens of publications and broadcast outlets, including CNN, Fox News, Inside Edition, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, The Financial Times, The Associated Press and The Hollywood Reporter. He can be reached at swann@tvpredictions.com or at 703-505-3064.

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