KFC'S Colonel goes 'Dirty Dancing' with Mrs. Butterworth to promote chicken and waffles
And for the first time in a while, brand's spokesmascot is a non-celebrity
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The KFC colonel is having the time of his life.
KFC is promoting Kentucky Fried Chicken & Waffles with a TV spot breaking Sunday that spoofs the famous dance scene from the end of "Dirty Dancing." The roles of Johnny (Patrick Swayze) and Baby (Jennifer Grey) are portrayed by Col. Sanders and Mrs. Butterworth of Mrs. Butterworth's syrup, which is now owned by Conagra Brands. The dance moves aren't on par with the original, in part because a bottle of syrup doesn't have legs. (Moreover, in advertising, they're not exactly original, as we saw He-Man and Skeletor do the same for MoneySuperMarket.com in the U.K. and Eli Manning and Odell Beckham Jr. tango for an NFL Super Bowl ad).
And in a departure from most of KFC's recent campaigns, Col. Sanders isn't portrayed by a well-known celebrity. Actor Craig Fleming fills the role in this spot, with a voiceover that declares the limited-time pairing "the most delicious union of all time." The campaign is the latest KFC work from Wieden & Kennedy Portland.
KFC says it went through 15 different variations of waffles before deciding on Belgian Liege-style waffles, which are made with a yeast-raised dough instead of batter and include pearl sugar imported from Belgium. The waffles are sweeter and doughier than American-style waffles, KFC U.S. Head Chef Bob Das said in a statement.
Kentucky Fried Chicken & Waffles are set to be sold from Nov. 12 through Dec. 31, KFC said. Meals including fried chicken or tenders, waffles and a side of Mrs. Butterworth's syrup start at $5.49. There's also a $5.99 sandwich with two waffles in place of the bread and a Hot Honey fried chicken breast fillet.
Meanwhile, over in the U.K., the fast feeder saw a more antagonistic pairing for its holiday ad, in which a chicken faces off00with a turkey.
Credits
- Date
- Nov 12, 2018
- Client :
- KFC
- Director :
- The Argentines
- Agency :
- Wieden & Kennedy-Portland
- Production Company :
- Bob Industries
- Creative Director :
- Freddie Powell
- Creative Director :
- Jarrod Higgins
- Copywriter :
- Shaine Edwards
- Art Director :
- Laura Wood
- Producer :
- Ben Grylewicz
- Media :
- Alex Barwick
- Media :
- Anjali Patel
- Media :
- Emily Dalton
- Media :
- Samantha Horvath
- Strategy :
- Britton Taylor
- Strategy :
- Andrew Clayton
- Strategy :
- Scott Woodhouse
- Account Team :
- Jesse Johnson
- Account Team :
- Kimmy Cunningham
- Account Team :
- Megan Riehl
- Account Team :
- Lindsey Warner
- Executive Producer :
- TK Knowles
- Executive Producer :
- John O’Grady
- Line Producer :
- Brian Etting
- Director of Photography :
- Bob Yeoman
- Editorial Company :
- Joint
- Editor :
- Kelly Lyon
- Post Producer :
- Chris Giraud
- Post Executive Producer :
- Leslie Carthy
- VFX Company :
- Joint
- VFX Company :
- KEVIN
- VFX Supervisor :
- Alex Thiesen
- VFX Supervisor :
- Tim Davies
- Flame Artist :
- Leif Peterson
- Flame Artist :
- Robert Murdock
- VFX Producer :
- Jennifer Catalino
- VFX Producer :
- Samantha Hernandez
- Titles/Graphics :
- Joint
- Mix Company :
- Joint
- Mixer :
- Noah Woodburn
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