Reference no: EM132252492
Case Assignment: KFC
Several years ago, but already many years after the company stopped featuring the real Colonel Sanders in their ads, Kentucky Fried Chicken officially changed their name to KFC. The intention of the change was to distance the brand from the exclusive image of fried chicken, as the menu had expanded over the years to include grilled products and sides. The plan backfired, instead creating rumors that the company could not legally call it Kentucky “fried chicken” because it contained mutant chicken parts.
However, in recent years, KFC has decided that instead of distancing themselves from the Colonel, they should embrace the founder. They call it their “re-Colonelization of KFC.”
“We were thinking about, ‘What’s our North Star?’ And our North Star is the Colonel, and doing things the hard way. When we’re at our best, the Colonel is at the center of everything. When he passed, we started losing our way a little bit,” said Kevin Hochman, KFC’s chief marketing officer.
With that in mind, KFC launched an advertising campaign featuring a variety of Colonel Sanders impersonators. The strategy behind the campaign is to have multiple colonels, each iteration being tied to a different promotional window.
The campaign launched in 2015, featuring Saturday Night Live alumnus Darrell Hammond playing the Colonel. His portrayal was very dry. If you weren’t paying attention, the commercial looked just like an old one starring the real Sanders. But those who were paying close attention began wondering what was going on.
Six months later, Norm MacDonald took on the role. MacDonald’s ads poked fun at the campaign. With his true-to-form wink at the camera, the ads were self-aware and “finger lickin’ good.” Next, Jim Gaffigan was brought in to portray the Colonel for the launch of Nashville Hot Chicken, one of the company’s newest products.
In the first non-authentic portrayal, George Hamilton became the “extra crispy Colonel” for the summer advertisements. Hamilton was selected because Hollywood has teased him for years about his very dark, tanned skin. “Extra Crispy Chicken is fried to a golden brown. George Hamilton isn’t fried to a golden brown, but he is tanned to a golden brown,” said Hochman.
KFC launched their latest iteration of Sanders just in time for football season. Rob Riggle, best known for his appearances on the Daily Show and Saturday Night Live, depicts the Colonel in ads as he found a new professional football team called the Kentucky Buckets. “The first professional football team fueled by fried chicken.” The ads highlight KFC’s $20 Fill Up meal and are intended to sell to football fans.
Riggle was selected after people on the Internet began calling for the company to use a real Kentucky colonel in their ads again, since the one-true Colonel Sanders died in the 1980s. "He [Riggle] was born in Louisville, Kentucky and served our country as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Marines. It doesn’t get any more real than that,” said Hochman.
The campaign has paid off for Yum Brands (KFC’s parent company). In July 2016, KFC reported its eighth consecutive quarter of same-store sales growth, after a period of slumping sales. "So far the response has been about 80% positive, 20% hate it," said Greg Creed, CEO of Yum Brands. "And I am actually quite happy that 20% hate it, because now they at least have an opinion."
Hochman said the company is trying to embrace its founder, not just in advertising but in philosophy. They will be subtly moving back to the name “Kentucky Fried Chicken.”
TRUE/FALSE
1. How a company chooses to advertise is ultimately of no real consequence to anyone but them.
2. George Hamilton’s “Extra Crispy” KFC commercial is part of an advertising campaign.
3. The Rob Riggle commercials are considered advergaming because they play during football games and are targeting football fans.
4. Airing fried chicken commercials during football games is a wise move for KFC as that timeslot has a large reach.
5. The rumor that “Kentucky Fried Chicken” had to legally change their name to “KFC” because of the use of mutant chicken parts was a public relations nightmare.
6. Darrell Hammond’s and Norm McDonald’s KFC commercials served as __________ advertising.
a. institutional
b. product
c. advocacy
d. pioneering
7. Jim Gaffigan’s commercial served as __________ advertising.
a. institutional
b. product
c. advocacy
d. pioneering
8. KFC’s main medium for their new colonel campaign was __________.
a. magazines
b. television
c. radio
d. outdoor media
9. Which of the following is an example of a seasonal media schedule?
a. KFC focusing their advertising campaigns to football season
b. Coopertown sunscreen being advertised during summer
c. Sudafed cold tablets advertising heavier during cold season
d. All of these
10. Showing football players eating KFC at a party in a major Hollywood sports film would be an example of __________.
a. new product publicity
b. product placement
c. consumer education
d. sponsorship