Can the desi Colonel Sanders help KFC India get more mojo?

KFC India for the first-ever time has unveiled a desi avatar of its iconic founder, Colonel Sanders

e4m by Misbaah Mansuri
Published: Jul 3, 2018 8:59 AM  | 4 min read

Ever since its inception, KFC’s Colonel Sanders has been edgy, authentic and has owned it. The man, in many ways, is a throwback to the real deal. To the millennial consumer, it’s a face they’ve seen on every bucket of KFC chicken. A number of people have portrayed him in a series of commercials since 2015. And now, KFC India for the first-ever time has unveiled a desi avatar of its iconic founder, Colonel Sanders. They've launched their new marketing platform — KFC Land.

Denzil Smith, popular Indian film actor recently made an appearance at a KFC restaurant in Connaught Place, New Delhi recently where he introduced 'KFC Land' to all the patrons. The brand has also released ads starring the new Sanders. The teasers show Sanders introducing chicken lovers to a whole new world of ‘KFC Land’. We spoke to Moksh Chopra- CMO KFC India and Krishna Mani, Senior Creative Director, Ogilvy & Mather on the same.

Chopra revealed that taking the distinctiveness in the brand’s approach and communication was at the core of the concept of KFC Land. “We wanted to build on our core brand pillars - our flavoursome food and our iconic founder - both of which are highly distinctive. Also this was the obvious next step in the journey of the brand’s evolution. KFC has been loved by consumers in India for about 20 years now – and people are familiar with our scrumptious food. So it was about time that the brand moved to the next level, and KFC Land only helps take the brand story forward using our unique assets like Colonel Sanders, tagline finger lickin’ good, iconic KFC bucket thus helping consumers discover more about KFC,” he said.

The concept of KFC Land will play out across all our upcoming marketing campaigns, restaurants as well as extend to other digital touch-points, over the next few months. Speaking about the creative brief for the campaign, Mani said, “Our brief was to create a ‘land’ that every chicken-lover would crave to be a part of. We had to create a unique brand world for KFC that could not be owned by others. Colonel Sanders is an integral part of the KFC brand identity. He is the guy who gave us the finger licking good chicken that KFC is known for. So who better than him to take forward the brand’s promise.”

Mani contended that the challenge was in bringing alive his persona, ethos and energy. “It is our strong belief that this campaign will surely make KFC stand out in the clutter, and garner a huge fan following for KFC’s beloved Colonel Sanders,” he shared.

Ad review

Priyadarshi Banerjee, National Revenue Head, Digital and Marketing Head, International Brands, Worldwide Media opined that while the ad doesn’t push creative boundaries as a TVC, it definitely breaks the clutter and monotony of fast food ads. “Fast foods ads usually are all about the end product and the taste only. This one however, also capitalises on the legacy of a brand like KFC by seamlessly integrating the legend of the age-old recipe of KFC in the narrative,” he let out.

Banerjee believes that the idea is more or less to communicate the 'taste' or the 'emotion'.” A brand like KFC of course always had the smiling Col. Sanders as a strong historical imagery throughout, but to bring that out on screen as a live person, in an Indian commercial is definitely a bold move that I wouldn't have expected,” he reasoned.

Naren Kaushik Mudrakartha, Senior Creative Director, Happy mcgarrybowen feels that Sanders could have been used much better. “ The edit, format, music, etc. is quite tried and tested. It does justice to the part where KFC has decided to (re)introduce Colonel Sanders to the consumers. But not with this execution. There have been quite a few KFC campaigns that have nailed the tonality and messaging in the past. Colonel Sanders also could have been used much better,” he said.

Mudrakartha opined that recall is perhaps something this campaign will get, but not necessarily equity and brand growth. “The template isn’t vastly different from the international format, but even then, the humour, craft, etc. seem to not have done much. I don’t really see what it is that people will really connect to, apart from the fact that their chicken is fresh and crispy – which the loyalists already know and swear by,” he shared.

Said Deepak Singh, Chief Creative Officer, The Social Street, “The ad is all right, but not sure if it meets the standards that KFC advertising has set in the past. Across countries, KFC has done a lot of interesting work and hence the expectation is now quite high. This one comes across as quite okay in that context.

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E4M Our strategy is to target younger audiences through Sports: Rajiv Dubey, Dabur

The Head of Media at Dabur India spoke exclusively to exchange4media on the World Cup, associating with Indian Idol, the company’s digital spending and much more

e4m by e4m Staff
Published: Oct 27, 2023 6:15 PM  | 1 min read
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With quirky campaigns, memes and moment marketing, timed with the ongoing World Cup and particularly the India-Pakistan matches, Dabur India has got considerable consumer attention for its popular brands – Red Paste, Cool King Hair Oil, Chyawanprash, Dabur Vita and the recently launched Bae Fresh Gel toothpaste.

The 140-year-old company is going big on key sporting events, World Television Premiere (WTP) movies and reality shows. It is now gearing up to become the title sponsor of popular talent show ‘Indian Idol’ on Sony TV for the first time, shared Rajiv Dubey, who leads the media strategy at Dabur.

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Swapan Seth's new book 'COOL' is out

The book is a reflection of the author's 'eclectic taste across categories'

e4m by e4m Staff
Published: Oct 27, 2023 6:07 PM  | 1 min read
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Advertising professional and art collector Swapan Seth has announced the launch of his new book COOL. The book is described as "a ready reckoner to the hip and the happening, of the known and the very unknown."

The book is a reflection of the author's "eclectic taste across categories: from boltholes to exotic hideaways."

COOL has been published by Simon & Schuster India and is available on Amazon.

Seth is an ad veteran with a long and illustrious career in the industry. He became the youngest-ever Creative Director at Clarion at age 24. He was VP at 26 at Trikaya Grey. Two years later, he started his agency Equus.

He writes for publications such as The Economic Times, Hindustan Times and India Today. This is his second book and he has previously published THIS IS ALL I HAVE TO SAY.

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Disney Star signs 9 sponsors for Asia Cup PAK

Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up come on board

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 26, 2023 11:48 AM  | 1 min read
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e4m Staff Disney Star has signed nine broadcast and digital streaming sponsors for the upcoming Asia Cup.

Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up have come on board for the upcoming tournament.
As reported earlier by exchange4media, Disney Star has sought Rs 26 crore for the co-presenting sponsorship on TV and Rs 30 crore for Disney+ Hotstar.

According to industry sources, the associate sponsorship on Star Sports has been priced at Rs 19.66 crore, whereas for the ‘powered by’ sponsorship on Disney+ Hotstar, the broadcaster is seeking Rs 18 crore.

As per the information available with exchange4media, Disney+ Hotstar has three sponsorship tiers-- co-presenting (Rs 30 crore), powered by (Rs 18 crore) and associate sponsorship (Rs 12 crore). The broadcaster is offering an estimated reach of 120-140 million for co-presenting sponsors, 90-100 million for powered by and 60-70 million for associate sponsorship.

A spot buy for 10 seconds has been priced at Rs 25 lakh for the India vs Pakistan matches, while for the non-India matches, the ad rate for 10 second is Rs 2.3 lakh. The India matches plus the final for ODIs has been priced at Rs 17 lakh per 10 seconds.

Asia Cup is scheduled to be held from 30 August, 2023, to September 17, 2023.

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Sorted 360 wins creative & social media mandate of Reliance Mall

The agency will manage offline and online campaigns for Reliance Mall

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 26, 2023 10:54 AM  | 1 min read
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Sorted 360, an integrated creative and social media agency, has won the mandate to providing brand solutions for Reliance Malls across India.

“Sorted 360 is set to enhance Reliance Malls' market presence with their unparalleled creative prowess and strategic thinking,” read a press release.

“Sorted 360's commitment to pushing the boundaries of creative communication aligns perfectly with Reliance Malls' ethos. With a pan-India presence spanning across 19 cities and growing, Reliance Malls has consistently captivated customers by offering an array of Reliance brands and third-party fashion & lifestyle brands. The mall has established an unparalleled connection with its patrons through superior quality, a remarkable value proposition, and an unmatched shopping experience,” it read further.

"We are thrilled to welcome Sorted 360 as our trusted partner in advancing our brand presence across the nation," said the Head of Marketing at Relaice Malls. "Their proven expertise in retail, shopping center management, and innovative creative strategies make them the perfect fit for our vision."

"Partnering with Reliance Malls is a testament to our commitment to shaping extraordinary brand experiences," remarked Prerana Anatharam, Co-founder of Sorted 360. "We are excited to leverage our strategic and creative acumen to further elevate Reliance Malls as the epitome of convenience, choice, and excellence."

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KlugKlug onboards Hemang Mehta as Country Manager for Indias

Mehta was most recently Head of Agency Relationships at Network 18 Media & Investments

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 24, 2023 3:35 PM  | 1 min read
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KlugKlug has appointed Hemang Mehta as its Country Manager for India.

Mehta will play a pivotal role in driving KlugKlug's growth and expansion within the Indian market and be responsible for Sales & GTM Strategy

Prior to that, he has also represented organisations like Exponential (now VDX.tv), India Today Digital and Rediff.com. His expertise spans various domains including digital media sales, mobile marketing, media planning, and buying, social media marketing, and more.

Hemang Mehta expressed his enthusiasm about joining KlugKlug, saying, "I am thrilled to be a part of KlugKlug, a forward-thinking platform that is reshaping the influencer marketing landscape. As much as I look forward to collaborating with the exuberant team at KlugKlug, I am super excited to interact with the brands to deliver powerful data-backed Influencer solutions that will guarantee business outcomes."

Commenting on the appointment, Kalyan Kumar, Co-Founder and CEO of KlugKlug, stated, "We are excited to welcome Hemang Mehta to our team as the Country Manager for India. His extensive experience in digital media sales and marketing will be instrumental in driving our efforts to provide influencer marketing solutions to our clients. We believe Hemang's leadership will be key in scaling our operations and expanding our reach within the Indian market."

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