f foreign franchises, and its strength in this area is not to be underestimated.
The company's primary strength is its reputation for providing high-quality chicken meals both for take-out and dining in. The company also has a strong product identification, and consumers are becoming increasingly health conscious, with the result that chicken has become a popular food choice, although the health benefits are mitigated somewhat by the frying preparation at KFC. Another of the company's strengths is its strong international presence. KFC enjoys an international market that is rivaled only by McDonald's in the fast food industry. This means that the company can offset some of the market saturation in the United States with continued expansion and increased sales in the international arena.
Another of KFC's strengths is its dominant position in the marketplace. KFC is the lead supplier of chicken in the fast food industry; Church's Chicken is the second largest competitor, but lags far behind KFC. This dominant position is supported by a strong commitment to quality standards which ensure that customers who purchase KFC goods in one geographic area are likely to receive the same quality of goods in a different area. This was not always the situation at the company; during one period in the company's history, it was unable to maintain sanitation and quality standards to the point that Harland Sanders expressed concern about the long-term relationship he had with the company at that point.
In addition to the quality of the goods that KFC sells, the company also has regained strong loyalty among customers. This has been achieved not only through its commitment to quality, but also through strong brand recognition. The company has moved farther from its identification with Sanders and built a strong brand around the KFC name (including changing its corporate identification from Kentucky Fried Chicken to the initials).
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