KFC's stunts make nightly news, but do nothing to stop sales slide

The fast-food chain formerly known as Kentucky Fried Chicken seems to have tried everything. It's changed its name to initials, then back to words, then back to initials. It's leaned on cheap marketing stunts. While the stunts drove buzz and the introduction of grilled chicken spiked short-term sales, the moves also contributed to a lack of consistent brand positioning and a distraction from KFC's flagship product. Although KFC remains the largest player in the growing segment of fast-food chicken, its share continues to drop, according to Technomic. KFC's market share tumbled six full points since 2005 to 30% in 2009, while the category grew from $14.5 billion to $16.1 billion.