By Nick Eskey
In what can only be considered a bold marketing move, KFC is making their presence known at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con. The campaign is in large geared towards infusing humor to the already established brand, featuring plugs in popular media and visuals in public settings. It officially kicked off in May when the company launched the interactive “Hall of Colonels” website, www.colonelsanders.com. The site is very reminiscent of a Disney themed attraction filled with animatronics, but they are all the Colonel.
The next step in the campaign is more geared towards comic and cartoon fans (aka “Nerds”). Spread out through the downtown Gaslamp area, seven life-sized Colonel statues will be dressed in convention inspired garb: a vampire, a unicorn, a Martian, a werewolf, a Japanese Pop Star, and a furry (yes you heard me). Each one will be WIFI equipped, allowing those in desperate need of internet to get their fix. KFC is encouraging everyone to post selfies with the themed statues using #colonelsanders.
Not to be without a Comic-Con exclusive, the fried chicken aficionado will have a limited edition comic book available. The comic will be passed out on July 10th throughout the Gaslamp by Colonel impersonators. Titled “Colonel’s Adventure,” the book depicts early events in Colonel Sanders’ life that eventually leads to his success, and of course his super power: his world-famous Original Recipe Chicken. The comic will come with his iconic black ribbon tie, and select packages will include a collector’s edition of “Colonel’s Adventure”.
To top it off, Adult Swim and KFC will team up for a meeting of their two biggest characters. The Robot Chicken and the Colonel will be featured together on television, online, and “on-site activations” at Comic-Con. The first televised episode will premiere on Thursday, July 9th at the Adult Swim Green screening event. Special edition t-shirts will be available then.
Whether or not the marketing campaign will pay off for the company, it’s still worth a look. When and where else can you see the famous Colonel Sanders dressed as a Japanese girl?
The lesson to be learned from this is: Never sign over the rights to your name and likeness to a corporation.
I’m ALL for KFC bringing back the Colonel as their mascot. But with that said, this version is some odd, twisted, creepy man that I’d think the real Colonel Sanders would find appalling. Unless he, too, snickered uncomfortably and otherwise made people’s skin crawl. They might need to go back to the drawing board with this version.
Well, it’s not as creepy as the Burger King.
As for his compensation?
He sold the company in 1964 for $2 Million.
He then became a salaried brand ambassador for KFC. ($40K, later raised to $75K)
He continued to collect franchise fees.
His left a charitable foundation.
“this version is some odd, twisted, creepy man that I’d think the real Colonel Sanders would find appalling.”
He’s like some sinister, cackling, alt-reality version. “I’d put the chicken in the lemonade too, if I could.”—that’s just plain evil!
The biggest shock, though, was finding out he’s played by Saturday Night Live’s Darrell Hammond: http://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/interviews/a35440/darrell-hammond-interview/
One of the best non-endemic brand integrations with nerd culture we’ve seen/heard of in regard to SDCC. If you’re going to come to this party, you’ve got to dress the part – and KFC has. Anxious to see if the promotional comic used actual comic talent or merely a not-so-incredible simulation. That’s one of the areas in which these executions traditionally fall apart.
Comments are closed.