KFC was sent scrambling last week when a push notification was sent out to its app users in Germany promoting a crispy chicken product as a way to commemorate Kristallnacht.
For those not schooled on their history, Kristallnacht, or The Night of the Broke Glass, was the night in 1938 when Nazis openly attacked and plundered synagogues, Jewish-owned businesses and Jewish homes — this was widely seen as the start of the Holocaust.
“It’s memorial day for Kristallnacht! Treat yourself with more tender cheese on your crispy chicken. Now at KFCheese!,” the notification read, according to a translation from the BBC.
KFC sent out an all-caps alert within an hour that was billed as “a retraction of sorts,” by CBS News. The alert stated: “SORRY, WE MADE A MISTAKE.”
David Sugarman, who identifies himself in his Twitter profile as the director of public affairs for the Board of Deputies of British Jews, called attention to the “absolutely hideous” promotion.
“In a successful attempt to outdo Brewdog in the ‘Worst Marketing Blunder of the month’ stakes, KFC Germany reportedly sent out a push notification offering customers special chicken deals for Kristallnacht, before sending out another message apologising. Absolutely hideous,” he tweeted.
In a successful attempt to outdo Brewdog in the “Worst Marketing Blunder of the month” stakes, KFC Germany reportedly sent out a push notification offering customers special chicken deals for Kristallnacht, before sending out another message apologising. Absolutely hideous. pic.twitter.com/mRgvA0euEY
— Daniel Sugarman (@Daniel_Sugarman) November 9, 2022
As you might suspect, the story drew plenty of attention on social media from people having trouble fathoming how on earth such a mistake could be made.
Here’s a quick sampling of responses to the story from Twitter:
Bloody hell. https://t.co/KvbWkw6YZs
— Ruth Davidson (@RuthDavidsonPC) November 9, 2022
'Due to an error in our system' what 'system error' sends out a kristallnacht remembrance deal??? This is horrendous? https://t.co/NhVIofGCYJ
— abi (spooky version) (@abi_victoriab) November 9, 2022
Well yes, quite.https://t.co/YGtn8Wk60W
— Daniel Sugarman (@Daniel_Sugarman) November 9, 2022
This is the sort of thing that happens when people aren’t talk their history, or it’s relevance to todays world
— paul cooke (@paulcooke6) November 9, 2022
Sufficiently grotesque to make me wonder if that was a deliberate act of provocation or sabotage on the part of someone. Just astonishingly dreadful.
— James Munro (@JamesMunro5) November 9, 2022
To be fair, KFC is a company that is headquartered in the country that thinks its own Memorial Day is an appropriate occasion for retail sales events, picnics, a car race, and fireworks.
— Alexander Crichton (@Sandman847) November 11, 2022
Kaiser Fuhrer Chicken?
— lheydon (@lheydon) November 10, 2022
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Tom Tillison grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills. Tillison also contributes to BizPac Review.
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