From George Costanza to Colonel Sanders: Jason Alexander is KFC's newest 'founder'
The 'Seinfeld' star dons the white hair and beard in sitcom-style ad
Editor's Pick
Jason Alexander is the newest celebrity to hawk KFC.
The "Seinfeld" star is promoting $20 Fill Up meals in sitcom-style "What's for Dinner?" ads breaking Monday.
The campaign featuring Alexander, best known for playing George Costanza on "Seinfeld," includes a one-minute commercial that's like the opening credits of a 1980s sitcom. In the spot, released Monday, parental roles and those of others in the cast, like the ever-present nosy neighbor, can apparently be filled by the colonel. There's also a somewhat creepy couch that we'll let you see for yourself. Another spot depicts him presenting an unusually wide tray of KFC's latest offerings--with unusually long arms to match.
"As the son of two working parents, there were plenty of dinnertimes when a bucket of chicken and all the fixins saved the day," Alexander said in a statement. "It's been fun to combine my personal love for KFC with my sitcom experience into a new take on the role of Colonel Sanders."
(Sorry, "Seinfeld" fans: Alexander doesn't grab any discarded chicken from the trash can in the spots released Monday.)
This isn't Alexander's first time in food-related ads. He's promoted Jenny Craig and Rold Gold pretzels and was even in a Miller Lite commercial with Yogi Berra in 1987, before he was on "Seinfeld." Last year, Alexander and his son had a series called "Dinner with Dad" on Freeform.
Alexander is the latest in a seemingly never-ending list of celebrities appearing in the KFC campaign from Wieden & Kennedy Portland. Reba McEntire became the first female colonel at the beginning of the year, and then George Hamilton returned in April as the Extra Crispy Colonel. More recently, the Yum Brands chain's commercials have focused on various value meals.
There's a little bit of product news tied to this campaign. The $20 Fill Up now has four versions: new boneless breast filets, as well as Original Recipe chicken, Extra Crispy chicken and Extra Crispy tenders, each with sides and biscuits.
KFC's second-quarter U.S. same-store sales rose 1 percent, an improvement from flat same-store sales in the first quarter, according to results Yum released earlier this month.
Credits
- Date
- Aug 06, 2018
- Creative Director :
- Ray Loewy
- Producer :
- Jake Falby
- Executive Producer :
- Kala Sherman
- Composer :
- Chip Jenkins
- Original Music :
- New Math
- Music :
- APM
- Colorist :
- Jasmine Vazquez
- Color :
- Joint
- Mixer :
- Noah Woodburn
- Mix and Sound Company :
- Joint
- Executive Producer :
- Alex Thiesen
- Flame Artist :
- Pilon Lectez
- Flame Artist :
- Noah Poole
- Flame Artist :
- Leif Peterson
- Lead Flame Artist :
- MB Emigh
- VFX Supervisor :
- MB Emigh
- VFX Company :
- Joint
- Executive Producer :
- Leslie Carthy
- Post Producer :
- Catherine Liu
- Assistant Editor :
- Kristy Faris
- Editor :
- Steve Sprinkel
- Editorial Company :
- Joint
- Director of Photography :
- Neil Shapiro
- Line Producer :
- Josh Porter
- Executive Producer :
- Eriks Krumins
- Director :
- The Perlorian Brothers
- Production Company :
- MJZ
- Print Producer :
- Denise Hanggi
- Art Producer :
- Andrea Bakacs
- Design Retouching :
- Saskia Thompson
- Design Retouching :
- Frazer Goodbody
- Studio Design :
- Fazel Sayeh
- Studio Design :
- Patrick Nistler
- Studio Design :
- Corey Bade
- Studio Design :
- Mike Weihs
- Creative Operations Manager :
- Jane Monaghan
- Business Affairs Manager :
- Maureen Doyle
- Director of Business Affairs :
- Amber Lavender
- Strategy :
- Matt Hisamoto
- Strategy :
- Scott Woodhouse
- Strategy :
- Britton Taylor
- Brand Management :
- Steve Smith
- Brand Management :
- Meg Riehl
- Brand Management :
- Kimmy Cunningham
- Brand Management :
- Rob Archibald
- Brand Management :
- Jesse Johnson
- Producer :
- Melissa Nagy
- Director of Craft, Film :
- Ben Grylewicz
- Executive Producer :
- Heather Smith Harvey
- Copywriter :
- Ansel Wallenfang
- Copywriter :
- Mike Egan
- Art Director :
- Danielle Delph
- Art Director :
- Matthew Carroll
- Creative Director :
- Freddie Powell
- Creative Director :
- Jarrod Higgins
- Executive Creative Director :
- Jason Bagley
- Executive Creative Director :
- Eric Baldwin
- Agency :
- Wieden & Kennedy-Portland
- Brand :
- KFC
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