KFC Malaysia keeps vow of silence despite being off the boycott list. Is it the right PR move?

KFC Malaysia is keeping to its vow of silence despite Boycott Divestment Sanctions Malaysia (BDS Malaysia) clearing the air about its alleged campaign for Malaysians to boycott KFC. In a statement by BDS Malaysia chairman Nazari Ismail, the fried chicken chain was never included in the BDS Malaysia boycott list and BDS Malaysia never campaigned for the Malaysian people to boycott KFC from the past until now. 

From early days of the boycott, the fried chicken chain has not released statements to deny, clarify or engage with claims of its involvement with the war in Gaza. 

Don't miss: KFC was never included in the boycott list, says BDS Malaysia

Following the statement by BDS Malaysia, discussions about the brand focused on inquiries about the reasons behind the boycott and concerns about employees potentially losing their jobs, said media intelligence firm Truescope.

Additionally, some users questioned the selectivity of the boycott, wondering why other American companies, such as Apple, Microsoft, and WhatsApp, were not similarly targeted. 

According to Manisha Seewal, group president of Redhill, KFC's decision to remain silent is a strategic PR move. "KFC's decision to remain silent is a strategic PR move that not only shows confidence, but also subtly indicates that this boycott does not substantially affect or impact their business," said Seewal.

She added that: 

A brand as big as KFC does not feel the need to engage with these criticisms and false pretenses.

However, Charu Srivastava, co-founder of TriOn&Co, disagrees, saying that it gives consumers "the impression of guilt and a need to hide the 'truth'."

In this situation, staying silent is not a smart thing.

"Silence provides the opportunity for others to control the narrative whether positive or negative," she added. "In this case, while the latest statement is in favour of KFC, the reputational damage is done as many believe KFC to be in some way complicit in the Israel-Gaza situation."

In February this year, the fast-food chain saw its brand sentiments plummet after its branch on the Caribbean Island of Antigua made a social post that seemed to reference the Palestinian refugee crisis.

According to media intelligence firm CARMA, KFC's sentiments in Malaysia dropped from 8.2% positive and 27.6% negative to 0.9% positive and 96.7% negative after KFC Antigua posted a picture that said, "#NoTentsJustChicken". The post added, "Sorry, no tents here, just finger-lickin' good chicken just the way you like it to spice up your weekend."

After the post, netizens in Malaysia were up in arms with words such as '#BoycottKFC', 'Palestinians' and 'tents' coming out on top in the brand's world cloud in addition to mentions of Gaza and refugees. 

When to release a statement? 

A brand should release a statement when the issue is impacting the business operations and reputation, said Srivastava. This is especially since a carefully thought out and genuine statement is an opportunity to control the narrative from the brand perspective.

"The alternative is to leave it to others to tell your story. We see this happen in this situation where KFC has been dragged into the boycott issue despite not being on the BDS boycott list," added Srivastava. "By not speaking up to clarify, they gave the false impression of guilt, of hiding and in a way giving legs to the, now proven, false issue."

Earlier in April 2024, it was reported that KFC Malaysia shuttered over 100 restaurants amidst the ongoing pro-Palestine boycott. Kelantan was reportedly the hardest hit, with nearly 80% or up to 21 branches temporarily shut. 

Meanwhile, 15 outlets in Johor, 11 branches in Selangor, 11 in Kedah and 10 in Shah-Alam were also shut. According to Srivastava, KFC should take the opportunity to release a statement finally clarifying their situation as "the BDS statement is a great endorsement by a neutral and respected third party particularly in this nature of the situation." 

"KFC should leverage the authority of BDS to back up its own narrative of not being involved in the boycott movement to unequivocally clear its name. Be transparent and be genuine," said Srivastava.

Seewal agrees saying that "staying silent forever is not always the best move." A brand should come forward to release a statement when misinformation affects their business and reputation in any way, she explained.

"KFC Malaysia, better known as Kepci among the locals, can leverage statements by BDS to emphasise their support for homegrown talents and community initiatives. This can adeptly shift the narrative to highlight their positive contributions and focus on building customer loyalty," said Seewal.

"Over time, nobody will remember what the brand did or did not do, but they will remember their witty social media posts that engage the community."

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