Ad description
A TV ad promoted the KFC "Mighty Bucket For One". A couple entered a KFC restaurant and the male character said, "I'm gonna have a Mighty Bucket For One, how about you?", to which the female character replied, "It's ok, I'll just have some of yours." The male character sighed and said, "Ok, I really like you, but it's a Mighty Bucket For One - you can have your own, if you want. Now, I will share a romantic walk with you, I will even share my innermost thoughts, but my food? Nahhh." A voice-over then stated, "With two pieces of original recipe chicken, hot wings, mini fillets, fries and a drink, the KFC Mighty Bucket For One ain't for sharing" while images of the product were displayed.
Issue
The complainant challenged whether the ad condoned or encouraged excessive consumption of food.
Response
Kentucky Fried Chicken (Great Britain) Ltd acknowledged that the "Mighty Bucket For One" meal with a diet soft drink contained 1270 calories which was 63% of a recommended daily intake of 2000 calories, or 1400 calories and 70% of an individual's recommended daily intake if they chose a regular drink. They believed, however, that British consumers would identify straight away that the meal should not be eaten excessively, e.g. for lunch and dinner, or even every day as a lunch. They claimed that consumers were very aware that some meals from fast-food suppliers might contain a high amount of calories and therefore such meals were a treat and to be enjoyed as part of a balanced and healthy diet. They said the humorous and playful tone of the ad reflected that, and played on the stereotype that when men had a treat for lunch or dinner they often didn't like to share it.
Kentucky Fried Chicken also stated that the fact they had called the meal "mighty" also showed that they envisaged it to be the main meal of the day. They were not suggesting anyone ate more than one "Mighty Bucket" in a day and asserted that they were not encouraging excessive eating.
Clearcast stated that although the meal had a relatively high calorific content, there was no encouragement within the ad for the meal to be eaten regularly or very often. They highlighted that it would be possible for an individual to eat the meal for dinner and stay within the recommended calorie intake. Although the narrative of the story was that the male character preferred not to share his dinner, they did not believe that it implied that he was over-eating.
Assessment
Not Upheld
The ASA noted the high calorific content of the meal. We also noted that the meal was called the "Mighty Bucket For One" and that the central premise of the ad, although presented in a humorous and light-hearted way, was that the male character could not entertain the thought of sharing the meal with his girlfriend. We considered, however, that the ad only showed one isolated occasion when the man ordered and ate the meal, and there was no indication that he was in the habit of doing so. We also considered that there was no suggestion in the ad that an individual should, or that it would be advisable to, consume the meal on a daily or regular basis. We also noted Clearcast's assertion that if an individual ate the "Mighty Bucket" for either lunch or dinner, they could still eat a less calorific meal and stay within the recommended daily allowance. Therefore, we concluded that the ad did not condone or encourage the excessive consumption of food.
We investigated the ad under BCAP Code rule 13.3 13.3 Advertisements must not condone or encourage excessive consumption of any food. (Food, food supplements and associated health or nutrition claims), but did not find it in breach.
Action
No further action necessary.
