Has KFC Stereotyped The African American Family

Some new ads by Kentucky Fried Chicken(KFC) present an interesting vision of an African American family at the dinner table. While the family is by all means loving and close, one important thing is missing: a father. All of this raises the issue of whether KFC has wrongly decided to stereotype the African American family or is simply seeking to strengthen sales by an appeal to single parent households.

The American family is a vital part of American society, and why KFC does not portray the family as also including a father is an interesting choice. Maybe the new KFC ads speak to the reality of many single parent households. But maybe there is also some responsibility for advertisers to portray the family as also including both parents an ideal, although not always the real world reality.

It is interesting to critically view advertising and see what sort of signals it is sending out. And the new KFC ads seem to say a great deal more than merely selling fried chicken.