The subject of the debate is  Twitter followers.  Are numbers important? Is more always better? Should you try one of the many automated services that promise to get you thousands of followers in the matter of days or even hours? The answer really lies in your purpose.  Well, first, do you have a purpose?  Just kidding, in a way.  It’s OK to jump on Twitter to figure out what it is.  You will likely fall into one of two camps:  love it and immediately become engaged and even addicted, once you meet the many intriguing and intelligent folks who are using Twitter then visualize where it can take you, your career, your business and/or your personal contacts (now you have your purpose!).  Or, you’ll hate it and see it as a waste of time.  If so, this debate isn’t for you.

I’m approaching Twitter rather methodically and looking for like-minded people who post comments and news stories that help my daily life and career. Thus, I do not refollow everyone who follows me.  I’m not being snobby, just selective. And I will not use an automated follow system.  However; let’s consider a franchise QSR such as El Pollo Loco or Dominos Pizza.  Wouldn’t they want as many followers as possible?  After all, everyone eats, right?

On the surface, that’s my answer but I’d love to hear other opinions and options I may not have thought about.

FIrst, are they for real?  Is this a publicity stunt the two agreed on or is this really happening? It’s hard to imagine either scenario.

El Pollo Loco is a franchise of over 400 locations, mostly in the southern and southwestern part of the United States and their claim to fame is their citrus-marinated grilled chicken.  KFC, as most of us know, is the national chain of over 5,000 fried chicken restaurants, made famous because of the amiable Colonel’s secret recipe.  In recent years, they changed their name from Kentucky Fried Chicken to KFC to get away from using the word ”fried” and the unhealthy association it brings with.

Now, KFC is introducing a grilled version of chicken, called KGC and to make a big splashy introduction, gave away free chicken this past Monday. El Pollo Loco has responded to the competition by launching “Taste the Fire” call-in taste test.  In some recent news and TV commercials, El Pollo Loco is claiming that employees of KFC and/or their parent company, Yum Brands, are calling the hotline pretending to be average Joes, voting for KFC’s version of grilled chicken.  They are also throwing down the gauntlet to get KFC to publicly respond. See the You Tube video from El Pollo loco here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jyn7iDJQnyQ See some of the El Pollo Loco commercials here: http://www.elpolloloco.com/whatsnew/commercials.html

Another aspect of this feud is the true definition of grilling.  El Pollo Loco says their chicken is grilled over an open flame, as most consumers would expect when ordering grilled chicken.  KFC says their chicken too is grilled, but on a special grill pan, placed in a proprietary oven.

To date, KFC has not launched any type of reaction, other than to answer questions directed to their corporate offices.  So, who is the winner here?  Is there a winner? Are both companies getting publicity?  Yes. What’s yet to come? Only time will tell but I know one thing, it’s making me hungry and I’d like to try both–if only there was an El Pollo Loco closer to my neighborhood!

Today, The Pork Producers Council’s Web site reports http://bit.ly/127gvL “People cannot get the flu from eating or handling pork,” said Dr. Jennifer Greiner, director of science and technology for the National Pork Producers Council. “The flu is a respiratory illness not a food-borne illness.”  The article also states that a worker who recently visited Mexico – and became ill with flu-like symptoms – is suspected of transmitting the virus to a pig.”

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) states http://bit.ly/bXjCM about 36,000 Americans die on average per year from the complications of flu.  Hopefully the negative press will not turn consumers against the $15 billion pork products industry.  There are two sides to every story.  The pig is getting a bad rap; I say BLT anyone?

I am happy to say I received a letter from Rebecca Steinfort, Chief Marketing Officer at Quiznos in Denver, CO.  In the letter she thanked me for registering for the Quiznos Million Sub Giveaway; said the response has been nothing short of overwhelming with over a million customers responding in just three days.  She apologized for the problem I experienced redeeming my coupon and most important to me personally she said and I quote “I’m committed to making it right for you.  Enclosed, please find a $5 gift card as an apology from all of us here at Quiznos.  I hope that you’ll come back and give us another chance to give you one of our toasty subs.”

I will respond to Ms. Steinfort formally but wanted to say that my faith has been restored in Quiznos.  I’m certain I became a major annoyance to Quiznos and they could have just waited until it blew over as I’m sure many companies would have done….but they didn’t.  They did the right thing (in my opinion) and apologized and gave the “free” sub that they originally promised.  They made it right.  Thank you Quiznos and I accept your apology and now I have a taste for a Turkey Bacon Guacamole sub.

When I read the article with a quote from the EVP of Marketing at Quiznos saying:  ‘Given the current state of the economy, we believe we should all be responsible for looking at our part of the world to understand how we can make it better.  And for Quiznos, that meant lowering our prices while maintaining the high quality standards we are known for, and providing an opportunity for a million people across the country to try our toasty subs for free.”

I received a comment from Tracey who said she is working with Quiznos and shared that the “free sub giveaway” was nothing short of overwhelming and that a “few” consumers were disappointed not receiving the sub and she provided a link to Quiznos and asked me to share my experience.  I did contact Quiznos and shared my experience of trying to redeem the coupon at four (4) locations and that I was informed they were not participating in the giveaway.  Almost immediately I received an e-mail apology from Quiznos and a request for my home address.

To my surprise I received in the mail 6 coupons redeemable at the Quiznos near my home that included:

2 coupons to buy one sub and get a second sub free

2 coupons for $2 off any delivery order

1 coupon for 2 regular subs, 2 chips and 2 drinks for $12

1 coupon for $10 off any order over $35

Only 2 of the coupons I received from Quiznos will get me anything “free” but only if I buy a sub will I get one free.  My question to Quiznos is – why didn’t you just call it a buy one get one free promotion instead of saying that Quiznos is providing an opportunity for a million people across the country to try our toasty subs for FREE?

I must say again that in tough economic times – truth is best.  I won’t be eating at Quiznos any time soon.

I printed the coupon and tried to redeem it at four (4) different Quiznos and was told none of them were participating in the sub giveaway.  The most frustrating was that only one (1) of the four (4) posted a sign that they were not participating.

I was surprised to read the article with a quote from the EVP of Marketing at Quiznos saying:  “Given the current state of the economy, we believe we should all be responsible for looking at our part of the world to understand how we can make it better.  And for Quiznos, that meant lowering our prices while maintaining the high quality standards we are known for, and providing an opportunity for a million people across the country to try our toasty subs for free.”

It appears this coupon giveaway will get consumers into Quiznos but instead of a free sub all they will get is disappointed.  I guess the disappointed and probably hungry consumer could purchase the sub and that may have been the real reason for the sub giveaway.

My niche was the fast food industry and childhood obesity…naturally. For four months, I read articles, made presentations, and wrote press materials until my fingers were blue, all to answer the question “Is the fast food industry responsible for childhood obesity?”

Parent and school groups charged about their obese children falling victims to incessant fast food advertising, while major “quick service” restaurants, like McDonalds and Burger King, pushed the power of choice and the need for exercise.

Between greasy hamburgers, addictive fries, and strongly targeted ads, I was pretty set in my ways when I began my quest to find the answer to the ever-popular question. However, after many weeks of research and consideration, I was surprised to feel my opinions change.

Sure, the double-decker, super-duper, yummy-in-your-tummy burgers taste great and sure, fast food companies are selective about the markets they advertise to, but ultimately, isn’t it the responsibility of the parent to say “no” to their children, understand what’s best, and ensure they live healthy, active lifestyles?

Maybe I’m just the innocent victim of the fast food industry’s destructive spin.

What do you think?

Which argument does the most damage? Which spin is most destructive?

As you can probably guess, the tests did show that indeed, some products are gluten-free, as the labels claim; some contain small, acceptable amounts of gluten (although it is debatable if any amount of gluten in a gluten-free product is acceptable); and some contain alarmingly high amounts of gluten.  

One of the lines determined to have high gluten levels, despite a “gluten-free” label is an assortment of breaded meat products targeted for children’s consumption, manufactured by New Jersey’s Wellshire Kids and sold at Whole Foods stores. After some initial stalling, Whole Foods did pull the products but only after enough customers complained and they decided it was the right thing to do and take responsibility, no longer placing the blame on the manufacturer.  At the manufacturer level, Wellshire Kids now says they discovered last June that the products were not gluten-free as labeled due to one of the batter ingredients so they found a substitute ingredient manufacturer for the products in question. However; they chose to continue to sell the products made with the old ingredient (that did contain gluten) that was already in inventory.

So, is just enough really good enough?  Yes, both parties acknowledged the problem truthfully and factually (no SPIN!!!) then made the necessary changes to correct the problem and went public with those announcements and changes.  But in today’s world, wouldn’t it be refreshing to have someone take that extra step, be ahead of the bad publicity, do the testing more diligently and ensure all the claims are 100% accurate before being caught in this situation?        

As a mother, I have always tried to persuade my children to make healthy, nutritious food choices.  When my son was young his cereal of choice was sugar based and almost always had some toy inside that he just couldn’t live without.  I read with interest the 9/16/08 article in PR Week by Kimberly Maul read more and was reminded of a day in 1992 (I think)…

when Michael Jordan changed my son’s cereal of choice.  I asked him what cereal he wanted and to my delight his response was “Wheaties”!  The reason for his cereal choice change was due to the wise decision General Mills made in their choice of Michael Jordan as their celebrity spokesperson.  That same son – now in his 20′s – still eats Wheaties!  He may never have tried the cereal if it weren’t for MJ!  Ms. Maul reported on the recent PRWeek’s Entertainment and Media Roundtable panel discussion of the changing celebrity culture, with celebrities touting themselves as brands, and how celebrities can work with products and companies in the PR world.  The right celebrity spokesperson choice can boost the sales of a product for years to come!

Patti Knight

A recent Chicago Tribune article made everyone aware that this year’s “Taste of Chicago” there will be super healthy items available for sampling, like potato chips from Billy Goat Inn, a slice of deliciousness from Eli’s Cheesecake, and the staple of supermodels the world over – apple pie with ice cream on top. This year organizers have some crazy ideas about what constitutes “healthy”. Megan McDonald, executive director of the Mayor’s Office of Special Events, who also thinks up is down and black is white, told the Trib, “As part of this year’s application each restaurant had to explain what its healthy item would be. “Some of the restaurants had a difficult time with this, but I say, you know, if you fry a vegetable, it’s still a vegetable.” I swear she has to be on some type medication, and it’s not for high cholesterol apparently.

More children in Chicago are overweight or are at risk of overweight than in the nation or the overall state of Illinois. (Data source: Ogden et al, 2006; Mason et al, 2006; IDPH, 2006) What type of example are we setting here? I myself cannot wait until some person is eating their diet slice of cheesecake on a stick and has a heart attack and then my taxes are paying for their medial upkeep. In my opinion, the “Taste of Chicago” should go one of two ways: First, actually have healthy foods on hand for sampling. Yes, Salads, chicken breast, complex carbs, all that stuff is yummo and can be prepared in delicious ways. The other option is to cut the crap, suspend all the spin and call it like it is, “Taste of Chicago” – Would you like angioplasty with that fried Mars bar? I could totally get behind this. Pace yourself the week before, drink loads of water, eat some leafy green salads, all in preparation of murdering you body for one day a year. We could turn it into the Mardi gras of food.

When it comes to traditions, especially food related traditions in a great food city like this, people would rather be fed comfort food than lines of bull from the Mayor’s delusional aide. Let’s hope these people use their noggins next year and hopefully we can all enjoy our samosa guilt and spin free.