Best of the Decade: KFC resurrects Colonel Sanders in myriad forms
Reba McEntire, a WWE star, a romance novel hunk—who wasn't the Colonel in the last ten years?
Editor's Pick
Creativity looks back on the brand ideas and campaigns that made the last decade. See the full lineup here.
Best of the Decade
In five years, KFC managed to go from fried chicken purveyor to creator of all kinds of culture, thanks to the team at Wieden & Kennedy Portland. After brand landed at the agency in 2015, founder Colonel Sanders got a massive, multi-personality makeover—in the form of celebrities (like Darrel Hammond, Norm Macdonald, George Hamilton, Rob Lowe and Reba Macintyre), a WWE star, a romance novel hunk and video game heartthrob.
Other efforts from the agency included an ASMR campaign, a store selling outrageous tchotchkes like a $20,000 chicken sandwich-shaped meteorite and more.
Original Story
Country music fans might instantly recognize the voice of the first woman to play KFC's Colonel Sanders, but for others, it could take several seconds before figuring out who's in the sparkly white suit.
"I'm Colonel Sanders," Reba McEntire, disguised as the man himself, belts out in the opening seconds of the chain's latest spot. "Same as always, absolutely nothing's changed."
McEntire the colonel is on stage at a honky-tonk bar, and when she starts singing, the audience goes nuts. She tosses her white cowboy hat out into the revelers, revealing a quick cut of the "real" McEntire, who catches the hat on her head.
Wearing a wig, facial hair, glasses and a fringed, sparkly white suit, McEntire dons a look similar to that of the nine male celebrities who have starred in the ever-changing Colonel role. She's the first woman, and the first music superstar, to play the part, which originated with Darrell Hammond in May 2015. Her spot, from KFC agency Wieden & Kennedy Portland, is also the first one to feature dancing policemen.
"I grew up with Kentucky Fried Chicken," McEntire said in a KFC statement. "It's part of my story, and I'm so excited to now be part of theirs. I've held a lot of roles in my life�"sort of like the Colonel himself�" but this is certainly the most unique one yet."
What she's part of, specifically, is selling the chain's newest regional flavor, Smoky Mountain BBQ fried chicken.
Smoky Mountain BBQ is the Yum Brand Inc. chain's third southern-inspired flavor. Vincent Kartheiser played the Nashville Hot fried chicken colonel in 2016, followed by Billy Zane as the Georgia Gold Colonel in 2017. Ray Liotta was then the face of both of those flavors in a campaign that broke in September.
The colonel who came just before McEntire was unknown actor Christopher Boyer, a non-celebrity chosen to be the value colonel. The others, in order of appearance, have been Hammond, Norm Macdonald, Jim Gaffigan, George Hamilton, Rob Riggle, Kartheiser, Zane, Rob Lowe and Liotta.
KFC isn't the only brand McEntire works with. Her other projects include a "REBA by Justin" footwear line, Reba apparel at Dillard's and a line of cosmetics.
Credits
- Date
- Jan 25, 2018
- Brand :
- KFC
- Client :
- KFC
- Agency :
- Wieden & Kennedy-Portland
- Executive Creative Director :
- Eric Baldwin
- Executive Creative Director :
- Jason Bagley
- Creative Director :
- Jarrod Higgins
- Creative Director :
- Freddie Powell
- Copywriter :
- Nathaniel Lawlor
- Copywriter :
- Ansel Wallenfang
- Art Director :
- Nick Stokes
- Art Director :
- Ruth Bellotti
- Executive Producer :
- Heather Smith Harvey
- Senior Producer :
- Melanie Fedunok
- Strategy :
- Britton Taylor
- Strategy :
- Scott Woodhouse
- Strategy :
- John Dempsey
- Strategy :
- Andrew Clayton
- Account :
- Jesse Johnson
- Account :
- Rob Archibald
- Account :
- Kate Rutkowski
- Account :
- Lindsay Varquez
- Business Affairs :
- Amber Lavender
- Business Affairs :
- Nestor Gandia
- Comms Planning :
- Kelsey Bozanich
- Comms Planning :
- Anjali Patel
- Creative Manager :
- Lauren Walker
- Production Company :
- Biscuit Filmworks
- Executive Producer :
- Holly Vega
- Line Producer :
- Jay Veal
- Director, Photography :
- Lasse Frank
- Editor :
- Ian MacKenzie
- Post Executive Producer :
- Gina Pagano
- Assistant Editor :
- Gustavo Roman
- Visual Effects Company :
- Electric Theater Company
- Visual Effects Supervisor :
- Adam Watson
- Lead Flame Artist :
- Adam Watson
- 2D Artist :
- Gretchen Capitan
- 2D Artist :
- Dave Damant
- 2D Artist :
- Krystal Chin
- 2D Artist :
- James Aguilar
- Visual Effects Producer :
- Adriana Wong
- Executive Producer :
- Kate Hitchings
- Producer :
- Kala Sherman
- Composer :
- Joe Spalina
- Mix Company :
- Joint
- Mixer :
- Noah Woodburn
- Photographer :
- Art Streiber
- Producer :
- Brooke Ludi
- 1st Assistant :
- Elaine Browne
- Director :
- Andreas Nilsson
- Sound Design :
- MackCut
- Music :
- New Math
Need a credit fix? Contact the Creativity Editors
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