KFC Is The Most Powerful Brand In China

In a study compiled for the BBC by global research agency Millward Brown, Kentucky Fried Chicken, or KFC, is the most powerful international brand in China, Food Navigator Asia is reporting.

The survey was formed on reports made by Millward Brown, and included McDonald's and Coca Cola all in the top ten most powerful brands.

Over a two year span, the research agency conducted about 60,000 interviews with Chinese consumers, both in person and online. The survey targeted people in ten Chinese cities, and used criteria like how "meaningful," "salient," and "different" the brands were in addition to the ease in which consumers were able to recall such brands.

Of the top twenty brands that were ranked, thirteen were from the United States, two were from Germany, one from Italy, and one from Anglo-Dutch brand Unilever. Samsung from South Korea was the only Asian brand.

The top spot for KFC was earned despite a bout of scandal for the fast-food chain, where a recent report showed that ice cubes were riddled with bacteria levels that were almost 19 times the national standard.

KFC has 4,400 restaurants in China, with goals to open 700 more over the next year. McDonald's averages almost 10 new restaurants a week, with Coca Cola looking to funnel $4 billion into expansions by 2015.