W7: The Family Recipe

The idea of a "secret recipe" in the food industry is one that's very appealing to the traditional American family. It's enjoyable to think of a small, mom and pop type shop opening up for business with a secret recipe; then as the business ascents to success and glory they can look back and attribute it all to that trusty recipe. As a culture that doesn't like thinking about where our food comes from, we also don't find it necessary to bring our ideal fantasies about large corporations having a secret family recipe back to reality. It's near impossible to envision a company reaching the heights that Coca-Cola, or KFC has without someone finding a way to replicate their ingredients for American food products.

A large part of this "family recipe" slogan's success is the stigma attached to the "secret" aspect of this marketing tool. Simply put, secrets are fascinating. By nature, we feel powerless to something that we have no control over, and want to do everything in our power to obtain knowledge that someone else possesses. By gloating to the world that only two people know every ingredient in their beverage, Coca-Cola plays to the intrigue of Americans everywhere. It makes them consider how exclusive the company is with who they tell the recipe to, and also lets them ponder and guess which ingredients could possibly play a role in the drink. By merely releasing a press statement containing Coke's ingredients, the intrigue and mystery of the product is gone, and slowly it blends in with every other food and beverage product at the market.

Additionally, the "family recipe" takes attention away from some of the less innocent aspects of that company's daily procedure. When taking a guess at KFC's 11 herbs and spices, not many start their sentence with "Well, first they feed countless chicken hormones to make them grow faster than they normally would, then after their bodies are enlarged to the point where they can barely walk, they're slaughtered." Coca-Cola's founder will always be credited with coming up with just the perfect blend of ingredients for a tasty beverage, but in the same thought nobody would give validity to the claim that he also created a drink that contributed to the largest obesity epidemic in American history. Claiming to have 11 herbs and spices in an innocent, fun concept for consumers everywhere to ponder while eating their food, and makes it easier to ignore more vast details about where that chicken came from.

Secret family recipe's are a fun, clever marketing campaign but it's important for Americans to remember that they're intended to serve just that purpose: make a larger profit, and distract you while you rely on convenience food. Taking a good-natured stab at what KFC's 11 herbs and spices are is perfectly fine, as long as you're aware of the methods in which their food is prepared.