• by Gavin O'Malley , Staff Writer @mp_gavin, May 25, 2006

Kentucky Fried Chicken recently proved that a potent dish can be cooked up by stirring in the right mix of subliminal advertising, free food, and the Web.

Playing against consumers' ad-skipping habits, in late February the fast-feeder ran a TV spot that had a single frame with the code word "Buffalo." To claim a coupon on the KFC Web site for a free "Buffalo Snacker" chicken sandwich, viewers had to slow-mo their way through the ad. KFC even told consumers when the ad would run so they would know when and where to pause their digital video recorders.

Around 103,000 people claimed "Snacker" coupons, according to kfc, while its Web site drew 2.75 million page views, 40 percent more than its typical traffic load. The ad was created by Interpublic Group's Foote Cone & Belding.