something on innovations.

According to MacMillan Dictionary, innovation means:

• A new idea, method, piece of equipment etc;
• The invention or use of new ideas, methods, equipment etc.

I applaud people for their courage in inventing something new, especially if there is absolutely no guarantee that the next product they launch would be better or equally good as their existing products.

If their products manage to penetrate the market (and capture hearts of the consumers), that definitely is something I would gape at in awe and respect.

Because everyone knows that coming up with an idea is a challenge in itself, what more to promote and market the product to the masses.

In the case of the food industry, I find that most fast food chains have managed to do a good if not great job in ensuring that their franchise suits the wants, needs and taste buds of the people at large.

For example, look at McDonalds. With the existence of other brands such as Wendy’s, Carl‘s Junior, Burger King and A &W etc., competition can’t be anything but tough. McDonalds has to make sure that they are always inventing or improvising their menu so that people keep on coming back to them even if they decide to raise the price by a bit.

Put it simply, keeping things interesting and fresh are vital in ensuring the survival of their business.

So, they began with creating a more cosy and relaxing albeit more posh look to tag to the McDonalds brand. It became a place where people didn’t mind taking pictures anymore because the interior is something to shout out about. And that’s just one of the many things they’ve done.

Then, they had to make sure that their meal packages are more attractive and more affordable to the masses as compared to the other fast food outlets. With the economic crunch and whatnot, it’s important that the masses feel like they are helping to ease the burden of the people. And so, they came up with the RM 5.95 and RM 7.95 meal packages, which are swarmed by tonnes of people (including yours truly) during lunch and dinner times.

The point is, I applaud them for their creativity and bravery in trying out new things. But also, that’s not really the point of this post.

My point, really, is that some companies need to reinvent or be innovative with their existing business plans because they just have to, as there really is no other choice to it due to the tough business competitions.

But some companies are better left untouched, and that’s where KFC comes into the picture.

You all know that most fast food chains can’t beat what KFC serves. No one really can. Not even Popeye’s. I mean, just look at the colour of the chicken and you’ll know which tastes better. To me, KFC is a league of its own.

At first, it was quite exciting when KFC finally came out with variations of the Hot N Spicy chicken; like the Thai and Curry and whatnots. But after a while, the original Hot N Spicy really is the best no matter what. Nothing can beat it, really.

And each time they decide to launch a new type of Hot N Spicy, they do not provide an option to people to still order the existing Hot N Spicy.

This is when sales go down and people stop going back there because what they get is not what they expected.

And when this happens, they’ll have to advertise the original Hot N Spicy’s comeback since customers have stopped coming.

I wouldn’t mind if this is their first or second tries, but this has happened too many times already. I think someone ought to tell them that it doesn’t really matter if they don’t invent or innovate something other than their existing Hot N Spicy chicken as it tastes good enough already. In fact, the existing one tastes great.

Their best innovation was perhaps cheesy wedges and I’d like that to stay, please.