The Colonel's Back - Is That a Good Thing?

The New Colonel

KFC in anticipation of its 75th anniversary is bringing back Colonel Sanders.  Not the Colonel Sanders - the real Harland Sanders has been dead for 35 years - but a characterization portrayed by former Saturday Night Live actor Darrell Hammond.    Click here for the introductory commercial. 


The reason, KFC states, is that KFC has lost its relevance (and market share) to up-and-comers like Chick-fil-A.  KFC has 4,800 stores generating $4.2 billion in revenue while Chick-fil-A has 1.900 stores generating $6 billion in revenue (and they're not even open on Sunday!).  I get it.  There's a problem here.

However, I don't believe that bringing back the Colonel - especially in this reincarnation - is the answer to KFC's woes. 

According to Greg Creed, KFC's CEO, 60% of Millennials  have not eaten the company's chicken.  The problem is:  how is bringing back the colonel going to provide relevance to this group?  The real Colonel Sanders was a genuine spokesperson for the company (he had the original recipe) and was able to sincerely pitch the product.  But he's been off the air longer than the lifespan of the Millennials.  So, what is there for them to remember?

Here are some issues:

The Original Colonel on TV

• The new Colonel Sanders isn't authentic.  In their book "The Human Brand" by Malone and Fiske, they conclude "noting better conveys the identity and character of a leader and the warmth and competence of the company or brand he or she leads than the genuine story to their journey together serving customers."  That's what the original Colonel Sanders did.  Click on the image for one of his commercials for KFC. 
• Even if Millennials recognize Darrell Hammond, he's out of character.  He's not portrayed in a comedic role.  So, the talent that they're paying for is off target. 
• The original Colonel focused on his point of difference - his secret recipe.  The reincarnation looks like any other fast food creating different menu options to create ephemeral "product news" rather than an enduring brand position. 
• 20% of KFC customers say they "hate" the new ads.  The CEO publicly stated:

"And I am actually quite happy that 20% hate it, because now they at least have an opinion. They’re actually talking about KFC, and you can market to love and hate; you cannot market to indifference."

          True, you can't market to indifference, but can't you find a position that doesn't generate hate?

We'll have to see how this plays out for KFC.  I've always been impressed with what Jack-in-the-Box has done to create the imaginary CEO Jack.  Unfettered by reality, Jack can create unique messages for the company and has developed his own persona.  Unfortunately, for KFC (and those who remember the original Colonel) he and the company had a persona, and the new character doesn't align with it.  For those who didn't know the original Colonel, well, they're probably scratching their heads.