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Urban legends
Urban legends about KFC's rebranding from Kentucky Fried Chicken include the notion that the Commonwealth of Kentucky planned legal action against the chain due to a trademark on "Kentucky", and an assertion that KFC had been prevented from declaring their products to be made from chicken due to using genetically modified animals without feathers, beaks, or feet, which were easier to harvest. Both such tales have been debunked.
Advertising
Early television advertisements for KFC regularly featured Colonel Sanders licking his fingers and talking to the viewer about his secret recipe and the importance of a family joining one another for a meal. Despite his death in 1980, this angle was quite common through the 1980s and up until the early-mid 1990s.
Throughout the mid 1980s, KFC called on Will Vinton Studios to produce a series of humorous, claymation ads. These most often featured a cartoon-like chicken illustrating the poor food quality of competing food chains, mentioning prolonged freezing and other negative aspects.
In the 80s, KFC was an associate sponsor for Junior Johnson's NASCAR Winston Cup Series cars, with such drivers as Darrell Waltrip, Neil Bonnett, and Terry Labonte.
In 1997 KFC briefly re-entered the NASCAR Winston Cup Series as sponsor of the #26 Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Chevrolet with driver Rich Bickle at the Brickyard 400.
By the late 1990s, the stylized likeness of Colonel Sanders as the KFC logo had been modified. KFC ads began featuring an animated version of "the Colonel" with a lively and enthusiastic attitude. He would often start out saying "The Colonel here!" and moved across the screen with a cane in hand. The Colonel was often shown dancing, singing, and knocking on the TV screen as he spoke to the viewer about the product.
The animated Colonel is uncommon today. Still using a humorous slant, the current KFC campaign revolves mostly around customers enjoying the food. It also features a modified version of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama" as the theme song for practically all its commercials, though the restaurant hails from Kentucky.
In 2006, KFC claimed to have made the first logo visible from outer space, though Readymix has had one since 1965. KFC says " marked the official debut of a massive global re-image campaign that will contemporize 14,000-plus KFC restaurants in over 80 countries over the next few years." The logo was built from 65,000 one-foot-square tiles, and it took six days on site to construct in early November. The logo measured a record-breaking 87,500 square feet (8,129.0 m), and was placed in the Mojave Desert near Rachel, Nevada.
The chain has also advertised in video games. The Dreamcast game Crazy Taxi, has a KFC as a destination for patrons.
There are many KFC locations either adjacent to or co-extant with another (or several other) Yum! Brands restaurants, those being Long John Silvers, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and A&W Restaurants. Many of these locations behave like a single restaurant, offering a single menu with food items from both restaurants.
International operations
Canada
In French-speaking Quebec, KFC is known as PFK (Poulet Frit Kentucky). This was originally necessary because of Quebec's prohibition on commercial signs in languages other than French; in the early 1990s, these regulations were relaxed to allow national chains to use their familiar name in Quebec, but KFC/PFK continues to be one of the few non-Quebec companies to use a French name in the province. This is one of the few instances in which the KFC initialism is changed for the local language; even in France itself, the chain is called KFC.
China
KFC is known as 肯德基炸鸡 (pinyin: Ken de ji fried chicken) in China.
It opened its first store in Qianmen Beijing, the capital city in 1987. In 2007, it has over 1800 restaurants in 402 cities in all mainland China's provinces other than Tibet. From 2000 to 2005, it was selected as the "Best chain store brand." In 2005, it was given the "Chinese special permit award."
KFC is the most popular Western fast-food chain in the People's Republic of China. Local menu items include egg tarts, and lotus root salad. KFC in China also serves other poultry in addition to chicken.
Japan
A life size statue of the Colonel stands in front of most stores in Japan. Fried chicken is an especially popular dish at Christmas time and on Christmas Eve many families (who have made reservations weeks in advance), have their traditional Christmas dinner of Kentucky Fried Chicken at home. KFC is so prevalent in Japan that many Japanese unknowingly consider it to be a Japanese company.
Islamic countries
Most KFC stores located in predominantly Islamic countries prepare foods in accordance with halal guidelines.
Global locations
See also
References
- Barbara and David Mikkelson. "Tastes like Chicken". Urban Legends Reference Pages.
- Animate Clay!. "Vinton Studio Commercials". Animate Clay!.
- KFC (2006). "KFC Creates World's First Brand Visible from Space". Press Release. KFC.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|accessmonthday=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - Stephen Hutcheon (2006). "Giant Nullarbor logo zooms back into focus". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2007-10-28.
- Associated Press (2006). "KFC Unveils New Logo with Giant Image in Nevada Desert". FOX News.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|accessmonthday=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - Jack Marr, Alcinda Hatfield. "Fast-Food Restaurants: Just What Eastern China's Consumers Ordered". USDA Foreign Agricultural Service.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|accessmonthday=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ The Age (2005). "Deck the malls, it's Yuletide in Japan". The Age Company Ltd.
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External links
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