Things you didn’t know

Every day, nearly eight million

customers are served around the
world in KFC restaurants.

www.kfc.co.uk More than a billion of the Colonel’s

‘finger lickin’ good’ chicken dinners
are served annually.

KFC’s menu still includes Original

Recipe chicken – made to the same
recipe that the Colonel created more
takeaways, supermarket ready meals and a amplified the holistic ‘Soul Food’ experience. than 50 years ago.
KFC’s vision is to bring people of all ages, races and backgrounds together to enjoy raft of sandwich retailers. Moreover, the media Each execution was able to communicate
‘Soul Food’ – ‘proper food at reasonable prices’ – within bright and fun interiors. focus on the evils of fast food had fuelled individual product messages, to different For years, Colonel Sanders carried the
concerns over healthy eating. Consequently, targets, on different occasions. secret formula for his Kentucky Fried
KFC is designed to be perceived as a fun and inclusive brand. the major players in the QSR sector were all In striking contrast to the conventions of Chicken in his head and the spice
experiencing significant declines. the category, products were shown being mixture in his car.
In order to rise to the challenge, KFC consumed in the midst of the action.
Offerings and Values needed to overhaul not only its product and Gone were the generic cutaways to flying
KFC’s ‘Soul Food’ strategy, introduced in high street presence, but also its image. drumsticks, raining lettuce and bouncing
2003, was established at the very heart of At the heart of this was the ‘Soul Food’ buns. Soul music has been an important with its consumers, without compromising
KFC’s business – the product. The company’s concept, which was most visibly and component of the advertising, providing the immediate sales requirements of retail
core products are Buckets, Burgers and dramatically brought to life by advertising, KFC with a specific media property that marketing. Over the course of 2004 and
Twisters and Colonel’s Crispy Strips chicken created with advertising agency BBH. In fact, has helped to make KFC ads famous. 2005, KFC successfully launched a new
with home-style side dishes. But little had ‘Soul Food’ proved to be an effective creative ‘Singing Soul’ campaign. This followed the
occurred in terms of new product development springboard and led to TV executions that Market Context success of the ‘Soul Food’ campaign in 2003
within KFC since 2001. The British food-service industry has posted and 2004 and takes the brand essence
The ‘Soul Food’ proposition gave new positive growth, increasing by 25% since throughout the business, communicating it
focus to the new product strategy. The first 1999 and reaching value sales of £26.5 billion at all consumer touch-points.
‘Soul Food’ product to hit the stores was in 2004 (Source: Mintel). The number of In the UK, KFC operates 680 stores. Globally,
‘Warm Chicken Salad’. The success of this consumer foodservice units stood at 177,600 KFC is owned by Yum! Brands Inc. (formerly
salad has led to new variants being in 2003, representing a rise of 6.8% on 1999. Tricon Global Restaurants), which operates
developed, and more ‘Soul Food’ products A total of 5,224 million transactions were more than 33,000 restaurants in more than
continue to feature on KFC’s menus. achieved in 2003, representing an increase 100 countries and territories. Four of the
The new positioning also impacted on the of 15.6% on 1999 (Source: Euromonitor). company’s brands – KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell
pricing strategy. This was an offering for real and Long John Silver’s – are global leaders in
people and as a result, it needed to be Achievements and Future Prospects their categories. Internationally, Yum! Brands
proper, wholesome food, offered at a Through its ‘Soul Food’ strategy, KFC has opens about three new restaurants each day,
reasonable price. Prior to repositioning the effectively changed public perception of its ranking it among the restaurant industry’s
brand, the lowest priced item on KFC’s brand and built an emotional relationship fastest growing international retailers.
menu was £2.99, which was a barrier to
purchase for many consumers.
‘Soul Food’ meant that pricing was looked 1939 1964 1966 1971
at in a different way and the case for a value Colonel Harland With more than 600 Kentucky Fried More than 3,500
product at less than £1 was put forward. Sanders creates franchised outlets Chicken Corporation franchised and
The Mini Fillet Burger launched in 2004 and Original Recipe for his chicken in grows rapidly, company-owned
has had a positive impact upon sales and Kentucky Fried the US and Canada, going public on restaurants are in
perceptions of the KFC brand. Chicken. Sanders sells his March 17th. worldwide operation
The ‘Soul Food’ philosophy has also interest in the US as Heublein Inc.
made a real impact upon KFC’s retail company for US$2 acquires KFC
estate, manifesting itself in all aspects of million, but remains Corporation on
communication, from window posters to a spokesman. July 8th for
the menu boards and staff uniforms. Stores US$285 million.
have been designed along the key elements
of the philosophy, and the bright reds,
blues and yellows, which are generic and 1982 1986 1997 2002
expected within quick service restaurants Kentucky Fried KFC is acquired PepsiCo Inc. The corporation
(QSRs) have been replaced with more Chicken becomes a from RJR Nabisco announces the name is changed to
natural colours and materials to make the subsidiary of R J by PepsiCo for splitting of its brands Yum! Brands, which
atmosphere less plastic and more real. Reynolds Industries approximately – KFC, Taco Bell is the world’s largest
(now RJR Nabisco), US$840 million. and Pizza Hut – into restaurant company
Innovations and Promotions when Heublein is an independent in terms of outlets,
At the beginning of 2003, KFC’s business acquired by restaurant company, with nearly 32,500
was in a challenging situation. Its market Reynolds. Tricon Global in more than 100
was in decline, struggling in the face of Restaurants. countries and
increasing competition from pizza, ethnic territories.

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