"Chuck" is back and it's all thanks to fans of the show and their insatiable urge for the Cold Cut Combo. Or was it the Meatball Marinara? The world may never know.
As you may remember from my previous post, "Chuck" was on the chopping block recently near the time of its season finale. When fans got wind of this, they tweeted and posted to promote buying Subway sandwiches to gain the advertiser's support and show Chuck's fan base as a viable market.
NBC announced this week that "Chuck" will return after the Winter Olympics this year. The peacock network alluded to the "Save Chuck" online campaign and how Subway's support of the show will noticeably increase.
I expect a cameo by Jared the Subway guy very soon. Ronald McDonald will play the villain in that episode, too.
Long Live Chuck...And Five Dollar Footlongs
Oprah Causes Grilled Goodness Overload
Never underestimate the power of Oprah...and Twitter.
KFC was able to live a marketer's dream by having Oprah Winfrey plug their new product: Kentucky Grilled Chicken. To commemorate the launch, KFC and Oprah offered a coupon on May 5 for the new Kentucky Grilled Chicken for anyone that went on Oprah.com. 
As you can imagine, people went nuts over these coupons and tweeted and posted this news all over the internet. Over 16 million were printed off the website alone and who knows how many were copied. Hey, we're in a recession! Can you blame them? 
The response was so overwhelming that many KFC's had to deny customers their chicken since they had run out. People became upset and demanded their chicken. Thankfully, KFC quickly replied with a "rain check" for all customers with coupons saying they could come back at another time for their Kentucky Grilled Chicken. In addition, the coupon would now include a drink apparently.
KFC's President Roger Eaton posted this video response to the issue. While he is definitely not from below the Mason-Dixon line, I believe he handled this situation well. Not only did he offer people the value of the coupon but he also is giving them more for their inconvenience.
From a media relations perspective, this video is leagues ahead of our friend from Domino's. Eaton looks at the camera, is relatively casual in his speech and appears sincere in his apology.
Is he a bit enthusiastic? Of course. Wouldn't you be if a new product launch promotion had worked TOO well? While they logistically did not prepare for the supply and demand parts of the promotion, they did reach over 16 million people who are now interested in their new product.
Cock-a-doodle-doo.
McMocha Chocha Latte and Fries
On Tuesday, McDonald's initiated a national campaign to launch it's long-awaited McCafe. This addition to the golden arches' illustrious menu could mean $1 billion in revenue per year. 
While the McCafe has been available in select McDonald's over the past year, the official $100 million nationwide launch of the McCafe in the majority of McDonald's in the U.S. has baristas across the country acting more jittery and over-caffeinated than usual. 
You can bet your Frappuccino that Starbucks is primed for a coffee war. The gloves have already started to come off in recent advertisements that indirectly reference the beverages of the big burger boss.
Learn more about how you can "McCafe Your Day."
