KFC has been an extensive advertiser since the establishment of the first franchise in 1952.
Founder
Harland Sanders
Colonel Harland David Sanders (September 9, 1890
December 16, 1980) was an American businessman, best known for founding fast food chicken restaurant chain Kentucky Fried Chicken (also known as KFC) and later acting as the company's brand amba ...
initially developed his "Colonel" persona as a low-cost marketing tool. The Colonel's image is still used extensively in the chain's advertising.
The chain is well known for the "finger lickin' good" slogan, which originated in 1956.
Colonel Sanders
Colonel Sanders
Colonel Harland David Sanders (September 9, 1890
December 16, 1980) was an American businessman, best known for founding fast food chicken restaurant chain Kentucky Fried Chicken (also known as KFC) and later acting as the company's brand amba ...
was a key component of KFC advertising until his death in 1980. He made several appearances in various
B movies and
television programs
A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed bet ...
of the period, such as ''
What's My Line?
''What's My Line?'' is a panel game show that originally ran in the United States on the CBS Television Network from 1950 to 1967, originally in black and white and later in color, with subsequent U.S. revivals. The game uses celebrity panelis ...
'' and ''
I've Got a Secret
''I've Got a Secret'' is an American panel game show produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman for CBS television. Created by comedy writers Allan Sherman and Howard Merrill, it was a derivative of Goodson-Todman's own panel show, ''What's My Line ...
''.
Jack Massey described him as "the greatest PR man I have ever known". KFC franchisee and
Wendy's
Wendy's is an American international fast food restaurant chain founded by Dave Thomas (1932–2002) on November 15, 1969, in Columbus, Ohio. Its headquarters moved to Dublin, Ohio, on January 29, 2006. As of December 31, 2018, Wendy's was t ...
founder
Dave Thomas credited Sanders' appeal to the fact that he "stood for values that people understood and liked".
Since his death Sanders has remained a key symbol of the company; an "international symbol of hospitality".
In 1994, KFC hired actor
Henderson Forsythe
Henderson Forsythe (September 11, 1917 – April 17, 2006) was an American actor. Forsythe was known for his role as Dr. David Stewart #2 on the soap opera ''As the World Turns'', a role he played for 32 years, and for his work on the New York sta ...
to portray the Colonel in a television campaign entitled "The Colonel's Way".
The $18.4 million campaign from Young & Rubicam used black and white visuals.
[ (Abstract only)] The campaign was deemed unsuccessful and was ended.
From May 1998, an animated version of the Colonel, "boisterously" voiced by
Randy Quaid
Randy Randall Rudy Quaid (born October 1, 1950) is an American actor known for his roles in both serious drama and light comedy.
He was nominated for an Academy Award, BAFTA Award and a Golden Globe Award for his role in '' The Last Detail'' ...
, was used for television advertisements.
[ (Via HighBeam)] KFC chief concept officer Jeff Moody said they "provide a fresh way to communicate our relevance for today's consumers".
The animated Colonel was dropped in 2001 in the US, and in 2002 in the UK.
In 2012, a UK advertisement entitled "4000 cooks" featured an actor made up to resemble Sanders.
Beginning in May 2015,
Darrell Hammond
Darrell Clayton Hammond (born October 8, 1955) is an American actor, stand-up comedian and impressionist. He was a regular cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1995 to 2009, and has been its announcer since 2014.
Upon his departure, Hammo ...
began playing a live-action Colonel Sanders in KFC commercials.
Three months later, KFC launched a new campaign with comedian
Norm Macdonald
Norman Gene MacdonaldThe capitalization of Norm Macdonald's surname has been inconsistently reported in publications such as ''TV Guide''. Books that discuss him, such as ''Shales'' (2003) and Crawford' (2000), as well as other sources such as ...
portraying Sanders; the first ad of the campaign makes direct reference to the Hammond campaign, with a brief piece of footage of Hammond followed by Macdonald's Colonel declaring his predecessor an impostor.
Jim Gaffigan
James Christopher Gaffigan (born July 7, 1966) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and producer. His material often addresses fatherhood, laziness, food, religion, and general observations. He is regarded as a "clean" comic, using l ...
then began playing Sanders in February 2016, with his first ads stating that Macdonald's Colonel was another impostor.
George Hamilton began appearing as "The Extra Crispy Colonel" in July 2016, with no transition referencing Gaffigan's Colonel. Later, in September 2016,
Rob Riggle began appearing as a new Colonel Sanders, the coach of the fictitious "Kentucky Buckets" football team, again with no transition.
In January 2017,
Billy Zane began appearing as a Gold Colonel Sanders to promote a new Georgia Gold flavor chicken. In April 2017, KFC released a campaign featuring
Rob Lowe
Robert Hepler Lowe (born March 17, 1964) is an American actor, filmmaker, and podcast host. He made his acting debut at the age of 15 with ABC's short-lived sitcom ''A New Kind of Family'' (1979–1980). Following numerous television roles in ...
as astronaut Colonel Sanders giving a
JFK speech spoof
Spoof, spoofs, spoofer, or spoofing may refer to:
* Forgery of goods or documents
* Semen, in Australian slang
* Spoof (game), a guessing game
* Spoofing (finance), a disruptive algorithmic-trading tactic designed to manipulate markets
__NOTOC__ ...
/
homage about launching the Zinger chicken sandwich into space. This commercial also featured
Wink Martindale
Winston Conrad "Wink" Martindale (born December 4, 1933) is an American disc jockey, radio personality, game show host, and television producer. In his six-decade career, he is best known for hosting '' Gambit'' from 1972 to 1976 (and again fro ...
. Lowe released a statement saying that when he was a child, his grandfather took him to meet Harland Sanders. In 2018, a "Value Colonel" was introduced, portrayed by Christopher Boyer, an intentionally obscure background
character actor who was among those who auditioned for the part in 2015; Boyer's first commercial also featured a
cameo from
Wayne Knight
Wayne Elliot Knight (born August 7, 1955) is an American actor. In television, he played Newman on '' Seinfeld'' (1992–1998) and Officer Don Orville on '' 3rd Rock from the Sun'' (1996–2001). He also voiced Igor on ''Toonsylvania'' (1998 ...
as another celebrity Colonel. In January 2018, country music singer
Reba McEntire was selected to be KFC's first female Colonel Sanders. In August 2018, former ''
Seinfeld'' star
Jason Alexander was named the new Colonel Sanders. Alexander had previously appeared in commercials for KFC in the early 2000s. Actor Craig Fleming portrays the Colonel in the 2018 ad featuring
Mrs. Butterworth
Mrs. Butterworth's is an American brand of syrups and pancake mixes owned by Conagra Brands. The syrups come in distinctive bottles shaped as the character "Mrs. Butterworth", represented in the form of a matronly woman. The syrup was introduced ...
. In 2019, actor
Peter Weller reprised his role of
RoboCop in the guise of Colonel Sanders.
KFC CMO Kevin Hochman told ''
PRWeek
''PRWeek'' is a trade magazine for the public relations industry. The original UK edition was the brainchild of the late Geoffrey Lace who at the time worked for Haymarket. After failing to interest Haymarket in his idea he left to launch it on ...
'', "The plan was always to rotate colonels. We always thought of it like
James Bond
The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...
. The actor that dons the white suit brings something of his own to the actual character." Although the rotating "Real Colonel Sanders" campaigns have generated mixed reviews, analysts and company executives credit it with helping to boost sales. In late 2017, KFC introduced the "Value Colonel" portrayed by a lesser-known actor, Christopher Boyer, to advertise value meals. Boyer's portrayal of the Colonel makes a point to note that because he is not famous, he can advertise cheaply, even telling a Colonel Sanders suited
Wayne Knight
Wayne Elliot Knight (born August 7, 1955) is an American actor. In television, he played Newman on '' Seinfeld'' (1992–1998) and Officer Don Orville on '' 3rd Rock from the Sun'' (1996–2001). He also voiced Igor on ''Toonsylvania'' (1998 ...
in one commercial, "Ah, ah, ah, no celebrities!"
In 2019, a KFC themed
dating sim featuring Colonel Sanders, titled ''
I Love You Colonel Sanders! A Finger Lickin’ Good Dating Simulator'' was released on September 24. The game received a 50% on
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
, and
''Polygon'' writer Nicole Carpenter gave it a negative review, citing its short playtime compared to advertised length and seeming mockery of the dating sim genre.
The ubiquity of Sanders has not prevented KFC from introducing a
mascot
A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name. Mascots are also used as fi ...
aimed at children. "Chicky", a young animated chicken, was first introduced in Thailand in the 1990s, and has since been rolled out across a number of markets worldwide, mostly in
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...
and
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sout ...
.
KFConsole
In December 2020, the KFConsole was announced in a partnership with
Cooler Master
Cooler Master Technology Inc. is a computer hardware manufacturer based in Taiwan. Founded in 1992, the company produces computer cases, power supplies, air and liquid CPU coolers, laptop cooling pads, and computer peripherals. Alongside its ...
. It is a
gaming console "capable of running games at top-level specs, all on top of keeping your meal warm for you to enjoy during your gaming experience", according to PR and social media lead at KFC UK and Ireland Mark Cheevers. The console will include
virtual reality
Virtual reality (VR) is a simulated experience that employs pose tracking and 3D near-eye displays to give the user an immersive feel of a virtual world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment (particularly video games), e ...
support, 4k resolution support and 240 Hz output, as well as a patented "Chicken Chamber", which utilises the heat and airflow system of the console to heat fried chicken. As of October 2023, the console hasn't been released.
Slogans
Early official slogans included "North America's Hospitality Dish" (1956–1966) and "We fix Sunday dinner seven nights a week" from 1957 until 1968. The two slogans were phased out in order to concentrate on the "finger lickin' good" slogan.
The "finger lickin' good" slogan was trademarked in 1956.
After a local KFC television advertisement had featured Arizona franchisee Dave Harman licking his fingers in the background, a viewer phoned the station to complain.
The main actor in the advertisement, a KFC manager named Ken Harbough, upon hearing of this, responded: "Well, it's finger lickin' good."
The phrase was adopted nationally by the company by the 1960s, and went on to become one of the best-known slogans of the twentieth century.
The trademark expired in the US in 2006, and was replaced in that market with "Follow your taste" until 2010.
In 2011, the "finger lickin' good" slogan was dropped in favor of "So good", to be rolled out worldwide.
A Yum! executive said that the new slogan was more holistic, applying to staff and service, as well as food. Other slogans included "It's America's Country-Good Meal" and "It's Nice to Feel So Good about a Meal" (late 1970s), "We Do Chicken Right" (1980s) and "Everybody needs a little KFC" (mid 1990s).
"Nobody does chicken like KFC" was first introduced by KFC Australia in 1998, and has continued to be used by the company in some markets.
In 2015, along with a revamp of their U.S. advertising, KFC returned to using "Finger Lickin' Good".
As of April 2016, KFC began using the slogan "Colonel Quality, Guaranteed."
In 2020, during the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
, KFC suspended use of the slogan "It's Finger Lickin' Good" out of safety concerns.
The secret recipe is regularly identified with the phrase "eleven herbs and spices," the amount and identification of which remain a
trade secret
Trade secrets are a type of intellectual property that includes formulas, practices, processes, designs, instruments, patterns, or compilations of information that have inherent economic value because they are not generally known or readily ...
.
Logos
![MG 9177 (2444410374)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/MG_9177_%282444410374%29.jpg)
The first KFC logo was introduced in 1952 and featured a "Kentucky Fried Chicken" typeface and a logo of the Colonel.
It was designed by the
Lippincott & Margulies corporate identity
A corporate identity or corporate image is the manner in which a corporation, firm or business enterprise presents itself to the public (such as customers and investors as well as employees). The corporate identity is typically visualized by ...
agency.
Lippincott & Margulies were hired to redesign it in 1978, and used a similar typeface and a slightly different Sanders logo.
The "KFC"
acronym
An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase. Acronyms are usually formed from the initial letters of words, as in ''NATO'' (''North Atlantic Treaty Organization''), but sometimes use syllables, as ...
logo was designed by Schechter & Luth of New York and was introduced in 1991, and the Colonel's face logo was switched from brown to blue ink.
Landor redesigned the logo in 1997, with a new image of the Colonel. The new Colonel image was more thinly lined, less cartoonish and a more realistic representation of Sanders. In 2007, the Colonel logo was updated by Tesser of San Francisco, replacing his white suit with an apron, bolder colors and a better defined visage.
According to Gregg Dedrick, president of KFC's US division, the change, "communicates to customers the realness of Colonel Sanders and the fact that he was a chef".
Television
United States
KFC began to advertise nationwide from 1966, with a US television budget of US$4 million.
In order to fund nationwide advertising campaigns, the Kentucky Fried Chicken Advertising Co-op was established, giving franchisees 10 votes and the company three when deciding on budgets and campaigns. In 1968, the budget was increased to US$9 million (around US$60 million in 2013).
In 1969, KFC hired its first national advertising agency,
Leo Burnett
Leo Burnett (October 21, 1891 – June 7, 1971) was an American advertising executive and the founder of Leo Burnett Company, Inc. He was responsible for creating some of advertising's most well-known characters and campaigns of the 20th cent ...
.
John Hughes, later to become a filmmaker, worked as a
copywriter on the account.
A notable Burnett campaign in 1972 was the "Get a bucket of chicken, have a barrel of fun"
jingle
A jingle is a short song or tune used in advertising and for other commercial uses. Jingles are a form of sound branding. A jingle contains one or more hooks and meaning that explicitly promote the product or service being advertised, usually ...
, performed by
Barry Manilow.
By 1976 KFC was one of the largest advertisers in the US.
Young & Rubicam
VMLY&R is an American marketing and communications company specializing in advertising, digital and social media, sales promotion, direct marketing and brand identity consulting, formed from the merger of VML, founded in 1992, and Young & Rubica ...
(Y&R) was KFC's agency of record in the US from 1976 until December 2000. The tagline from 1976 to 1981 was: "It's nice to feel so good about a meal".
It was chosen because KFC had identified consumer guilt as its core marketing obstacle.
Meanwhile, KFC hired the Mingo-Jones agency to target
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
audiences.
Mingo-Jones coined the "We do chicken right" slogan, which was later adopted across the whole chain from 1981 until 1991. From 1991 to 1994, the television campaign focused on the fictional town of Lake Edna.
When he took over the CEO role at KFC,
David C. Novak ended the campaign, which he derided as "hokey". The campaign was replaced by one with the tagline, "Everybody needs a little KFC", which Novak credited with helping to boost sales at the company.
BBDO
BBDO is a worldwide advertising agency network, with its headquarters in New York City. The agency originated in 1891 with the George Batten Company, and in 1928, through a merger with Barton, Durstine & Osborn (BDO), the agency became Batten, B ...
took over the KFC US account in December 2000. Its first campaign, featuring
Jason Alexander (who would later play Colonel Sanders for KFC ads in 2018), debuted on television in July 2001. It ran until May 2003 with the tagline, "There's fast food. Then there's KFC."
In September 2003, BBDO was replaced by
Foote, Cone & Belding
Foote, Cone & Belding (FCB), is one of the largest global advertising agency networks. It is owned by Interpublic Group and was merged in 2006 with Draft Worldwide, adopting the name Draftfcb. In 2014 the company rebranded itself as FCB.
Parent ...
.
Its first campaign aired in November, but was pulled after less than a month following complaints from the
National Advertising Division
Better Business Bureau (BBB) is a private, 501(c)(6) nonprofit organization founded in 1912. BBB's self-described mission is to focus on advancing marketplace trust, consisting of 97 independently incorporated local BBB organizations in the Unite ...
and the
Center for Science in the Public Interest
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) is a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit watchdog and consumer advocacy group that advocates for safer and healthier foods.
History and funding
CSPI is a consumer advocacy organization. Its ...
that it advertised the health benefits of eating fried chicken.
International
In 1994,
Ogilvy & Mather
Ogilvy is a New York City-based British advertising, marketing, and public relations agency. It was founded in 1850 by Edmund Mather as a London-based advertising agency, agency. In 1964, the firm became known as Ogilvy & Mather after merging wit ...
became KFC's international agency of record. From 1997 to 1999, Ogilvy & Mather used celebrities such as
Ivana Trump
Ivana Marie Trump (, ; February 20, 1949 – July 14, 2022) was a Czech-American businesswoman, media personality, socialite, fashion designer, author, and model. Ivana lived in Canada in the 1970s before relocating to the United States and m ...
,
Tara Palmer-Tomkinson
Tara Claire Palmer-Tomkinson (23 December 1971 – 8 February 2017), also known as T P-T, was an English socialite and television personality. She appeared in several television shows, including the reality programme '' I'm a Celebrity...Get Me ...
and
Ulrika Jonsson
Eva Ulrika Jonsson (born 16 August 1967) is a Swedish-British television presenter and model. She became known as a TV-am weather presenter, moved on to present the ITV show ''Gladiators'', and as a team captain of the BBC Two show '' Shooting ...
to endorse KFC products in television advertisements in the UK. After this campaign, the agency simply adapted Y&R's American campaigns, such as the animated Colonel, for a British audience.
[ In late 2002, BBH was appointed KFC's UK agency. In 2003, the "Soul Food" campaign was launched, aiming to capture the young urban market with 1960s and 70s ]African-American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...
music. By 2005, this was believed to have been a failure, and KFC UK's marketing director left the company amid speculation that the US head office was unhappy with the campaign. In 2012, it was determined that a 2005 advert in the Soul Food campaign, featuring people talking and singing with their mouths full, had been the most complained-about advert in the fifty-year history of the Advertising Standards Authority. The complaints were not upheld at the time.
Marketing subsequently moved towards a more family-orientated line.
In 2017, Mother London began producing ads for KFC UK. One campaign included a dancing chicken and rap music.
Moksh Chopra, Director Marketing, KFC India announced that theatre and film actor Denzil Smith
Denzil Leonard Smith (born 6 November 1960) is an Indian film and stage actor and producer. Born to Anglo-Indian parents in Mumbai, he is known for his stage and screen roles as a character actor. Smith has acted in over 50 plays and 60 films. ...
would be the first Indian Colonel, kicking off different campaigns from KFC Land to Zinger.
2018 print ad
During a February 2018 food shortage that caused some restaurants to close and others to have limited selection, Mother London was given the job of helping KFC with its public relations. A print ad rearranged the KFC letters to spell FCK; the ad won awards at Cannes
Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. T ...
and elsewhere.
Promotional tie-ins and corporate sponsorships
In 2013, WPP's BrandZ valued the brand at US$10 billion.
Between November 1998 and January 2000, KFC US teamed with Nintendo, Game Freak
is a Japanese video game developer, best known as the primary developer of the mainline ''Pokémon'' series of role-playing video games published by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company.
History
Predating the video game company, ''Game Freak'' ...
and 4 Kids Entertainment
4Kids Entertainment, Inc. (formerly known as Leisure Concepts, Inc. and later known as 4Licensing Corporation) was an American licensing company. The company was previously also a film and television production company that produced English- dub ...
in a Pokémon tie-in. Pokémon themed promotional days were held, Pokémon Beanie Babies
Beanie Babies are a line of stuffed toys created by American businessman H. Ty Warner, who founded Ty Inc. in 1986. The toys are stuffed with plastic pellets ("beans") rather than conventional soft stuffing. They come in many different forms, ...
were sold, and Pokémon toys were given away free with children's meals. In 1999, PepsiCo signed a $2 billion agreement with Lucasfilm in order to market Star Wars themed meals in its KFC and Pizza Hut chains.
Since 2010, KFC has sponsored the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville. In Australia, KFC has sponsored the Big Bash League Twenty20
Twenty20 (T20) is a shortened game format of cricket. At the professional level, it was introduced by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in 2003 for the inter-county competition. In a Twenty20 game, the two teams have a single inn ...
cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by str ...
tournament and Twenty20 international matches since 2003.
In December 2018, KFC, in partnership with Enviro-Log, created a firelog that smells like fried chicken with KFC's 11 herbs and spices. The logs sold out online within hours of their debut.
KFC teamed up with Crocs
Crocs, Inc. (stylized in all lowercase) is an American footwear company based in Broomfield, Colorado, that manufactures and markets the Crocs brand of foam clogs.
History
Crocs was founded by Lyndon "Duke" Hanson, and George Boedecker Jr. to ...
in 2020 to create "KFC Crocs," a collaborative line of shoes presented tongue-in-cheek as haute couture. The shoes made their debut at Christian Cowan's presentation in the 2020 New York Fashion Week
New York Fashion Week (NYFW), held in February and September of each year, is a semi-annual series of events in Manhattan typically spanning 7–9 days when international fashion collections are shown to buyers, the press, and the general publ ...
, where they were modeled by South Korean artist MLMA
MLMA (acronym for Me Love Me A Lot) is a pseudonymous South Korean-born artist, rapper, and fashion designer. She is known for surreal, sometimes grotesque imagery in a variety of artistic media.
Career
MLMA began her artistic career after quitt ...
. MLMA also starred in a commercial for the shoes, which were distributed to celebrities like Kim Kardashian
Kimberly Noel Kardashian (formerly West; born October 21, 1980) is an American socialite, media personality, and businesswoman. She first gained media attention as a friend and stylist of Paris Hilton, but received wider notice after the s ...
before being made available for sale to the general public.
DC comics one-shots
Between 2015 and 2017, KFC and DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
partnered to publish three one-shot comic books: ''The Colonel of Two Worlds'', ''The Colonel Corps'', and ''Across the Universe'', each featuring KFC mascot Colonel Sanders
Colonel Harland David Sanders (September 9, 1890
December 16, 1980) was an American businessman, best known for founding fast food chicken restaurant chain Kentucky Fried Chicken (also known as KFC) and later acting as the company's brand amba ...
working with popular DC superheroes such as Green Lantern
Green Lantern is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They fight evil with the aid of rings that grant them a variety of extraordinary powers, all of which come from imagination, fearlessness, ...
and the Flash. Originally exclusively available at various comic cons, they were later made available for free download by DC.
In ''The Colonel of Two Worlds'', a new, evil version of Colonel Sanders, Colonel Sunder from Earth-3, teams up with Mirror Master
Mirror Master is the name of several supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is a recurring foe of the Flash (comics), Flash with considerable technical expertise and skills involving the use of mirrors. Three ...
and Captain Cold
Captain Cold (Leonard Snart) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is the leader of the Rogues, a loose criminal association, as well as the older brother of Golden Glider. An adversary of the various su ...
to tarnish the reputation of the original Sanders, and he and the Flash set out to set things right. In ''Colonel Corps'', Colonel Sunder, the Anti-Colonel, with the aid of Colonel Grodd (a Colonel version of Gorilla Grodd
Gorilla Grodd is a supervillain character appearing in American comic books and other media published by DC Comics, primarily as an enemy of The Flash. The character was created by John Broome and Carmine Infantino, and first appeared in ''The F ...
) returns to the Multiverse, who steals the secret recipe to KFC's chicken from the minds of various versions of the Colonel from across the Multiverse. Sanders allies with ten other versions of himself from other realities to defeat the duo. In ''Across the Universe'', the Colonel goes cosmic in a star-spanning quest to bring crunchy, spicy satisfaction to a hungry universe, only to face a "thieving varmint" who steals his space-bound Zinger chicken sandwiches that he and Green Lantern must defeat.
NASCAR sponsorships
KFC has marketed with various NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and ...
teams, sponsoring several cars on a limited basis throughout the years.
KFC's first appearance in NASCAR was in the NASCAR Cup Series in 1972, sponsoring Buddy Arrington
Buddy Rogers Arrington (July 26, 1938 – August 2, 2022) was an American NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver and owner.
Racing career
Arrington has the second-most starts without a win, and finished in the top 10 of NASCAR points twice; in 1 ...
's No. 67 car beginning with the Daytona 500. During the 1980s, KFC franchisee Rick Jeffrey raced in NASCAR with such sponsorship.
In 1997, to promote its newly introduced Chicken Twister, KFC created "Team Twister" to sponsor drivers across NASCAR's three national series (Cup, Busch, Truck
A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame constructi ...
) during the sport's race weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Indianapolis Raceway Park
Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park (formerly Indianapolis Raceway Park, O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis, and Lucas Oil Raceway) is an auto racing facility in Brownsburg, Indiana, United States, about northwest of downtown Indianapolis. I ...
. Rich Bickle
Rich may refer to:
Common uses
* Rich, an entity possessing wealth
* Rich, an intense flavor, color, sound, texture, or feeling
**Rich (wine), a descriptor in wine tasting
Places United States
* Rich, Mississippi, an unincorporated commun ...
of Darrell Waltrip Motorsports
Darrell Waltrip Motorsports was a NASCAR team owned by three-time Winston Cup champion Darrell Waltrip. It was formed in 1991 when Waltrip resigned from Hendrick Motorsports to start his own team, and was originally named DarWal, Inc.. During the ...
was Team Twister's Cup driver at Indianapolis, while Kenny Irwin Jr.
Kenneth Dale Irwin Jr. (August 5, 1969 – July 7, 2000) was an American stock car racing driver. He had driven in all three NASCAR national touring series, and had two total victories, both in the Craftsman Truck Series (today Camping World Tru ...
(Liberty Racing
Liberty Racing was an American auto racing team co-owned by former Cleveland Cavaliers player Brad Daugherty and owner of Liberty auto Group Jim Herrick. The team ran a single Ford in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series between 1997 and 1999. Nota ...
) and Mike Skinner ( Great Dane Racing) represented KFC in the Busch and Truck Series at IRP, respectively. However, Irwin failed to qualify for his race and Rick Fuller
Richard Fuller (born February 18, 1967) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling from 1997 to 2000.
Early life
Born in Middleborough, Massachusetts, Fuller graduated fr ...
raced with the KFC sponsorship instead. Skinner and Bickle had previously driven KFC cars in the Busch Series in 1994 while employed by Gene Petty, as did David Hyder. Other KFC Busch Series one-off sponsorships during the decade included Ed Berrier
Max Edward "Ed" Berrier III (born November 8, 1961 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina), is a second-generation NASCAR driver. His father Max Berrier competed in seven Grand National races over four years and won 125 feature races as a modified dr ...
in 1994 at Charlotte Motor Speedway
Charlotte Motor Speedway (previously known as Lowe's Motor Speedway from 1999 to 2009) is a motorsport complex located in Concord, North Carolina, outside Charlotte. The complex features a quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing includin ...
and Tim Fedewa
Timothy Fedewa (born May 9, 1967) is an American professional racing driver. He has formerly competed in the NASCAR Busch Series, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, American Speed Association and ARTGO. Fedewa is a spotter in the NASCAR Cup Series a ...
in 1995 at Bristol Motor Speedway
Bristol Motor Speedway, formerly known as Bristol International Raceway and Bristol Raceway, is a NASCAR short track venue located in Bristol, Tennessee. Constructed in 1960, it held its first NASCAR race on July 30, 1961. Bristol is among the m ...
.
Several years later in 2004, KFC sponsored Busch team Chance 2 Motorsports
Chance 2 Motorsports is a former NASCAR racing team that was founded by Teresa Earnhardt and Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2003. Although connected with Dale Earnhardt, Inc., the race team founded by Dale Earnhardt and run by Teresa Earnhardt after his ...
' No. 8 for some races with Martin Truex Jr.
Martin Lee Truex Jr. (born June 29, 1980) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 19 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing. He is the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Serie ...
and a race at Daytona International Speedway
Daytona International Speedway is a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. Since opening in 1959, it has been the home of the Daytona 500, the most prestigious race in NASCAR as well as its season opening event. In addition to NASC ...
with Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Ralph Dale Earnhardt Jr. (born October 10, 1974) is an American semi-retired professional stock car racing driver, team owner, author, and an analyst for '' NASCAR on NBC''. He currently competes part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving ...
KFC did not return to NASCAR until 2014, serving as a sponsor for Cup team Front Row Motorsports
Front Row Motorsports is an American professional stock car racing team that currently competes in the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. The team began running part-time in 2004 as Means-Jenkins Motorsports under a partners ...
that year and in 2015. KFC was on the No. 34 of David Ragan
David Lee Ragan (born December 24, 1985) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 15 Ford Mustang for Rick Ware Racing, and is also an analyst for NASCAR on Fox on ...
both years, and on the No. 35 of Cole Whitt
Cole Daniel Whitt (born June 22, 1991) is an American former professional stock car racing driver. After advancing his way through Kart racing, Whitt moved up to sprint cars and became a development driver for Team Red Bull. After running in the ...
in 2015 only. In 2016, KFC moved to Roush Fenway Racing Roush is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
Politics
*Glenn Roush (1934–2020), American politician in Montana
* J. Edward Roush (1920–2004), United States Representative for Indiana, namesake of:
** J. Edward Roush Lake, a re ...
to sponsor the No. 16 of Greg Biffle, again for a limited number of races.
References
{{KFC
Advertising
Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...
Advertising campaigns