肯德基跨文化营销的启示

The revelation of KFC transcultural marketing
吴天宇
With the development of global economic integration, marketing needs to proceed in cross-cultural context. And culture diversity will bring out the differences about consumer spending ideas and behaviors, which will cause cultural barriers and conflict. In this essay, combining the successful operating experience of KFC in China, it is summed up that the implementation of the localization strategy can preferably ensure that cross-cultural marketing company could survive and develop in different cultural environment. This essay consist of three parts, from these three parts, the modes of KFC fast-food is well realized.
KFC in China
KFC was enter the Hong Kong market as early as 1973, and established their first business in June. But In 1975, all KFC restaurants in Hong Kong are closed for the reasons followed: They only take the American culture into account, using the operation method they did in United States without considering the fact that Hong Kong market, which is located in Asian, has great difference to the US market. The culture and taste are different between these two countries, and the level of economic development also has a very big disparity. The products KFC provided do not adapt to local customs and practices, and their brand awareness does not conform to the local culture.
KFC not only fail to have a good grip on the difference between Hong Kong culture and their native culture but also fail to coordinate these differences at an appropriate time. Their blind use of “ self reference principle", their ignorant move based on strong national sense of superiority and over advocating personal development, are leading their failure in Hong Kong.
Awareness of these errors, KFC enter the Beijing market which has a long diet culture in 1987.As a starting point, KFC began to fumble and continuously learn to adapt to the Chinese market and society. Then they gradually formed an operation method with Chinese characteristics. By this time, KFC has grown thousands of chain stores in China.
KFC’s management tactics
Why KFC is able to come out at the head of Chinese fast food industry in such a fierce market competition? This situation is inseparable with its product innovation. 1. Product innovation: Due to the correct understanding of the Chinese culture, KFC is constantly trying to figure out the taste of Chinese consumers in order to present the typically Chinese products. From “Mexican Twister”, which is changed from the traditional hamburger, to “Dragon Twister”, which is filled with Chinese characteristics, KFC has made a great step to win its shares on the Chinese land. In addition, KFC often launches some long-term or short-term new products, such as
“Cod Fish Burger”, “Beef Wrap”, “Sichuan Spicy Diced Chicken” and so on. It treats needs as the guidance and constantly brings forth the new through the old to improve the satisfaction of the local consumers. In 2010, KFC officially launched several kinds of breakfast porridge and the deep-fried dough sticks, which are quintessential Chinese food for breakfast, in all of its restaurants in China, making another step on its road of localizing its menu. And it is said that more Chinese food is expected to enrich KFC’s menu in the near future.
2. Image innovation: In the United State, it adopts Street-flavored decoration and jazz as background music to cater to the young fashion group, while in China, KFC is committed its brand to localization. Here its decoration style turns to represent Chinese tradition --- family, kinship, friendship and understanding. “Life tastes better with KFC!” During the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Spring Festival and other festivals, KFC creates a warm, harmonious and sharing image through television advertisements, which is so close to the Chinese traditional culture that our Chinese always feel quite nice. KFC has already succeeded in shaping a very friendly, healthy, delicious and sweet brand image.
3. Service innovation: Service is an extension of the quality of products. There are no further sales without good service. The point is especially obvious in the fast food industry. As long as stepping into the restaurant, you will be provided considerate and thoughtful service by a warm and polite waiter with a smiling face. The customer does not need to worry about looking for seasoning, napkins and other tiny things. And each KFC prepares unique tables and chairs and a children’s world specially for children. Everybody will have a good time in fully sharing the delicious food and the pe rfect service. KFC’s warm and thoughtful service culture has been welcomed and recognized in this state of ceremonies.
4. Training innovation: As a labor-intensive industry, KFC pursues “people-oriented" as its human capital management mechanism. KFC keeps investing capital and manpower in various aspects and levels of training from waiters in the restaurants to managers in the functional departments of the company management. The training is not only to help employees improve their job skills, but also to enrich and improve the staff’s knowledge structure and personality development Moreover, the KFC adopt the open employment. That is to say company does not make any special restrictions and requirements to its employee’s turnover. After strict training, m aybe the local skilled workers and managers will choose to resign for various reasons and even be employed by the local competitive companies. The relaxed environment makes these personnel turnover achieve an invisible cultural transmission. According to the preliminary statistics, KFC has totally accumulated training thousands of people for over 20 years in China and the basic training funds has exceeded more than one billion Yuan.
The inspiration from KFC’s management mode
The company's management mode decides over the development speed of a company, even the development space. According to many successful companies' experience such as KFC, etc. Their development benefits from a healthy management mode. On the contrary, many companies died away after transient blooming because of lack of a healthy management mode. The fundamental content of company's management mode is reflected on the enforcement of a company. It is a necessary condition to improve company’s management and perfect its competitiveness. Th erefore, the company’s management mode is vital to the development of the fast food industry.
1. Enhance the strength
Compared with the large foreign brands, like KFC, the national fast food industry extremely lacks capital and talents. If our companies want to make vitality, we need to study from the successful experience of KFC and other mature fast-food industry’s experience. Clear brand awareness and constantly improved service standard will really let your customers feel “fast food belongs to service industry”.
2. More haste, less speed
As we know, fast food industry always improves the commercial profit and promotes its brand by adding stores. KFC would consider carefully before making any decision on increasing a chain store. The first one is locati on. KFC keeps a business motto “A step is as good as three markets”.
When we think about the site selection of a new store, the first thing is to assemble the economy and traffic data and the research of the target customer group in this region. After analyzing, summarizing and identifying the information, the site will finally be determined. And then the further survey will be put forward to check the actual stream of people. The investment and sales will be forecast by professional calculation and analysis.
3. Standardization
The reason why KFC can attract large of people is due to standardization. Standardization means less time-consuming and more economical which is very suitable for modern people. Nonetheless, the standardization food and services makes people can eat the absolutely same food in any KFC. In that case, when people need to travel or work in a strange city, the KFC must be become they first choice. The most important to the businessman is it can save large amount of investment from standardization. There is no need to innovation in different branches.
China has a brilliant and longtime food culture, which has no less than ten thousand kind of cates. China has a vast territory, a large population and a strong national sentiment. With pace of life accelerating, people will be increasingly demand for fast food. These conditions make a great opportunity for the development of local fast-food industry. It is a strong hope that China’s fast-food industry must seize the opportunity to create a bright future.。