• by Richard Whitman , Columnist, December 1, 2021

In September KFC, part of YUM! Brands put its estimated $170 million U.S. media and creative accounts into review.

As agencies participating in the KFC review prepare their RFP responses, one surprising consumer segment that they may want to look to as a target for growth are beauty and wellness consumers. 

That’s according to consumer research firm Helixa. One of the things the firm does is analyze public social personas (via AI) for connections consumers make with brands.

It found that those who have an affinity for KFC on social media also surprisingly over-index compared to the total U.S. population for the beauty and wellness category by a factor of 2.24 times.

That's also true of consumers who have an affinity for the fast-food category and the fast casual category as well. 

According to the firm, this can partly be attributed to the fact that the age demo for KFC affinity over-indexes for the 18 to 24 age group, which normally would have a high affinity for beauty and wellness.  It suggests agencies looking to bring ideas to target new consumers for KFC may want to consider how tie-ins with the beauty and wellness category might provide opportunities for incremental revenue growth. 

Not surprisingly, those who have an affinity for KFC also over-index for the gamer category and the money saver category, but the connection to beauty and wellness represents a unique avenue for expansion that other fast food and fast casual brands have not yet tapped into. 

The analysis also shows that KFC fans over index for reality shows, suggesting such programming should be included in media planning proposals.