KFC, inspired by a tweet about broccoli, starts frying up lots of unexpected foods

It began with a simple tweet: “I’d love to take the broccoli my auntie subjected me to and turn it into KFC so it could actually have a little flavour.” In South Africa, the chicken chain took the suggestion and ran with it, whipping up a video showing broccoli—and other foods—getting deep fried with a coating of KFC’s 11 herbs and spices. You asked, we fried! PS, finger lickin’ broccoli, where have you been all our lives?? 🥦 #MakeItKFC pic.twitter.com/ODmGd2l8Li Soon, a whole #MakeItKFC theme was circulating online. People were suggesting other foods to fry—such as pineapple or popcorn. The brand ran online polls to identify fan favorites, eventually selecting 16 foods items for a frying event. The 16 items were divided into four groups: • South African Staples: milk tart, mealie, biltong, steak pie • Eat Your Greens: brussel sprouts, broccoli, spinach • Savoury Sweets: ice-cream cone, birthday cake, pineapple, grapes, popcorn • Frying the Competition: cheeseburger, pizza, grilled chicken, sushi KFC set up an experiential kitchen, where fans could enjoy fried versions of all the foods (see below). Customized packaging included lines like “I used to be a pizza” and “I used to be sushi.” There was also an influencer element to the campaign. “Our inbox exploded, and we quickly realized this was no longer just a hashtag—it was a movement that was uniting people who love the iconic taste of KFC,” said Grant Macpherson, chief marketing officer of KFC South Africa. “And we thought it deserved an event celebrating all the foods that taste better when they are given the KFC treatment.”

KFC, inspired by a tweet about broccoli, starts frying up lots of unexpected foods

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