Fast food restaurant chain Kentucky Fried Chicken has enlisted a number of stars to act as the senior, elderly Colonel Harland Sanders. Whether it's Henderson Forsythe, Jim Gaffigan, George Hamilton, Norm Macdonald, Darrel Hammond, and Billy Zane. To introduce its Zinger sandwich, KFC has decided to bring in actor Rob Lowe, a former teen idol who has played high-profile roles in series like “The West Wing” in 2001, which brought him numerous Golden Globe Award nominations.
Lowe as fictitious Colonel Sanders
In the new advertising material, Rob Lowe as Colonel Sanders dressed as an astronaut delivers a 90-second announcement introducing to the American public KFC’s space mission.
The ad, created by Wieden + Kennedy Portland, used Lowe to help appeal to the interest of consumers under 35. Lowe introduces the new spicy Zinger Chicken Sandwich, and then announces KFC’s plans to push “KFC’s spicy, crispy chicken to new heights” as the new menu item is sent off to roam in space. Lowe’s grandfather, the head of the Ohio chapter of the National Restaurant Association in the 60s, took him to meet the real Colonel when he was a boy.
Rob Lowe, now in his 50s, said that he thought this would be a nice homage to both Colonel Sanders and to his grandfather. The chicken sandwich’s debut is coming this Monday, when participating U.S restaurants will sell Zingers as individual menu item or as a $5 Fill Up combo meal.
The Fill Up includes one freshly-prepared Zinger sandwich, wedges, a medium drink and a chocolate chip cookie. Kevin Hochman, KFC’s U.S president and chief concept officer, said in a statement that he had no idea how they would be launching a chicken sandwich into space, but the marketing team thought they could do it. The menu itself has spent 33 years in international markets.
Kevin said, “A freshly breaded chicken sandwich, made by hand every day of the week, will be more juicy and crunchy than one that’s made in a factory and frozen.”
KFC’s new Zinger sandwich
The new Zinger is described in the ad as a “100 percent white meat breast filet, hand-breaded and fried to a golden brown by trained cooks in every KFC kitchen” to be served with lettuce and Colonel’s mayonnaise on a toasted sesame seed bun.
KFC’s Zinger spicy chicken sandwich was already available in 120 countries internationally, before its debut in America this April. According to the company’s news release, the term “Zinger” is already synonymous with the fried chicken sandwich that was first created in Trinidad and Tobago in 1984. The Louiseville-based corporation specializes in its Original Recipe and Extra Crispy fried chicken in over 20,000 outlets in more than 125 countries around the world. Zingers are a favorite in the UK, India, and Australia, where more than 22 million Zingers are sold annually.
