KFC apologises over promotion to 'commemorate' Nazi atrocity
A promotional alert from the KFC app in Germany encouraging customers to celebrate the anniversary of a violent Nazi riot against the Jews has left customers shocked.
November 9 marked 84 years since Kristallnacht, or the Night of the Broken Glass, where the Nazi Party and Hitler Youth ransacked, torched and destroyed thousands of Jewish businesses and synagogues in Germany. The name was given after the streets were left littered with shards of glass.
At least 91 Jews were murdered, The Guardian reported, though it is believed that number could be much higher.
The message sent to KFC customers read: “Commemorate Kristallnacht – treat yourself to more soft cheese and crispy chicken. Now at KFCheese!”
About an hour later, another message was sent out apologising for “a fault in our system”.
“We are very sorry, we will check our internal processes immediately so that this doesn’t happen again. Please excuse the error,” the fast food chain said.
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One theory behind the bizarre message is that KFC has an automated messaging system linked to calendar events, including Kristallnacht. German social media experts were reportedly baffled that the blunder was only picked up after the message was sent, The Guardian reported.
KFC slammed for mocking crying child
Back in 2014, KFC copped criticism with another marketing fail appearing to make fun of a crying child.
The company was attempting to join Twitter conversations about a basketball tournament, suggesting those whose teams have lost could console themselves with a bucket of fried chicken. The image they published to social media showed a young boy in tears because his team had lost.
“Get KFC when you’re having a rough day,” they wrote accompanying the picture, along with the hashtag ‘StruggleFace’.
After backlash, KFC deleted the tweet without explanation or apology.
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