KFC's high-tone ads defy older customers' hearing

Nation's Restaurant News,  April 30, 2007  

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LOUISVILLE, KY. -- KFC is promoting a new item called the Boneless Variety Bucket--containing crispy chicken strips, honey barbecue wings and popcorn chicken--with interactive TV ads containing a high-frequency "Mosquito Tone" that most adults can't hear.

Viewers are asked to guess at what point in the commercial the tone is played and enter their picks on KFC's website. The first 1,000 people who guess correctly will receive $10 KFC gift checks, which can be used to buy the $9.99 bucket meal.

The Mosquito Tone is a popular ringtone among teens that most people over 30 can't hear because they lose the ability to hear the highest frequency tones in their 20s, KFC's ad agency said.

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