Capturing the spirit of the KFC brand personality.
KFC recently launched H.A.R.L.A.N.D. (Human Assisted Robotic Linguistic Animatronic Networked Device) He is a robot created to take drive-thru orders in order to celebrate National Fried Chicken Day.
So firstly – yes; National Fried Chicken Day is a thing (in the US at least)!! And secondly whilst the drive-through bot was used to take orders at a North American KFC restaurant on the day, it was developed as more of a brand marketing promotion than a replacement for KFC staff. As you’ll see in the clip below, H.A.R.L.A.N.D. talks in the twang of The Colonel, creating a memorable brand experience for those who happened upon him.
This brand gesture whilst out of the budgets for many restaurant and fast casual brands, demonstrates the long term value of investing in the creation of brand properties. The Colonel has been a part of the KFC brand toolkit for more than 65 years. The legacy of the company founder as both a figurehead and part of the brand personality and visual language continues to build equity, maintain brand awareness and provide new branding opportunities.
So whether you’re building a fast casual restaurant empire or a brand in any other category, starting with strategically considered and market appropriate brand visual language designs needs to be high on your priority list.
Dave Ansett
David is the founder of Truly Deeply, a brand agency with 25 years experience working with brands to position them for growth. His deep expertise is in the creation of high engagement brands that attract the attention of their audience and stand out from their competitors. David has extensive experience working with corporate, retail, food & beverage and entrepreneurial clients. Find out more here
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Created in collaboration with marketing agency Wieden + Kennedy and their engineering team The Lodge
Timeline of KFC brand marks courtesy of sketchdeck.com