KFC tries to revive founder Colonel Sanders' prestige

**celeb_2006** · September 9th, 2010, 10:15 PM

KFC tries to revive founder Colonel Sanders' prestige - USATODAY.com

Our cultural connection to Colonel Sanders seems to have been lost in the deep-fryer of time.

Colonel Harland Sanders, the goateed founder of KFC known for his white suits, string ties and "finger-lickin' good" punch line, would have turned 120 years old today.

But young adults don't know him from beans. More than six in 10 Americans ages 18 to 25 — the chain's key demographic — couldn't identify him in the KFC logo, according to a survey last week by the chain.

Worse, five in 10 believe he's a made-up icon and three in 10 haven't a clue who he was.

That's why KFC is taking action. Today, the world's largest chicken chain, with 15,000 outlets in 109 countries, unleashes an online PR blitz aimed at bringing the Facebook generation eye-to-eye with the venerable colonel.

"As time has gone by, the younger generation didn't get to see and experience him like other generations did" in ads and personal appearances, says spokeswoman Laurie Schalow. "We plan to celebrate the fact that our founder was a real person."

KFC will be using its Facebook presence, Twitter, MySpace, the KFC website and other digital outreach to introduce them to Sanders and prod them to create and upload a piece of art that could become a painting to hang (temporarily) next to the famous Norman Rockwell painting of Sanders at the company's headquarters in Louisville.

The image confusion is in part KFC's own doing.

In the past few decades, it ping-ponged back-and-forth from fried-chicken-maker to grilled chicken specialist. In the logo, it put the colonel in a red apron instead of his iconic white suit. And it turned its Kentucky Fried Chicken name into KFC.

"I wonder if most kids know what the initials KFC stand for?" poses brand guru Steven Addis. "It's just an alphabet soup now."

But Addis likes it that KFC is now essentially fessing up.

"It's a desperate but smart act to re-educate a generation," he says. "It's a clever way to embrace the problem rather than hide from it."

On a vaguely similar but much larger scale, Domino's late last year tossed out its pizza formula and mocked itself in ads that conceded the old pizza tasted like cardboard. Sales zoomed.

For KFC, it's been a rough year domestically. KFC's same-store sales fell 7% in the U.S. in the second quarter, facing a difficult comparison with the same quarter in 2009 when a new grilled chicken product was launched.

KFC has basically stopped growing in the U.S., and almost all growth is pegged to come internationally in 2010.

Now, KFC's trying to paint a new picture — actually asking its core consumers to paint it for them.

Through Sept. 30, artists can upload their sketches of the colonel at kfc.com/portrait.

The winning artist will receive $1,100 ($100 for each of the 11 herbs and spices used for the Colonel's Original Recipe chicken) and get to paint a new portrait of the colonel.

One last twist: The artist will be using paint into which KFC has blended the secret 11 ingredients.

**twitchy2.0** · September 9th, 2010, 10:52 PM

Prestige? It's fucking fast food. It doesn't have prestige.

**Little Goon** · September 10th, 2010, 05:21 AM

Where I come from, KFC is an upscale fast food restaurant. KFC isn't a cheap place to go to at all. A bucket of chicken can set you back 3 or 4 times the amount you would have spent at Taco Bell, McDonalds or Burger King. The only fast food place that rivals KFC in price and quality is Arbys. So I think KFC is more prestigious then some people realize.

Furthermore, Colonel Harland Sanders does deserve some respect just for being a colonel. A colonel is almost a general, and it's a pretty high military ranking, so it goes without saying that he must have had a fairly impressive military career.

At this point, the colonel is basically a historical figure, and one day will prove to be an important part of our nation's history when future school children analyze the development of fast food in America.

The colonel is also a business tycoon, which is a major accomplishment.

Not only that, but his chicken is finger lickin' good, and so are his mashed potatoes and potato wedges. Frankly, I respect the man and I am grateful that he developed his fried chicken recipes for future generations to enjoy.

**A*O** · September 10th, 2010, 05:36 AM

Thanks for the infomercial Little Goon. KFC is JUNK food like all the others. I know it's popular and it tastes good but it's still junk and most people know it despite the PR.

**hustle4alivin** · September 10th, 2010, 05:40 AM

Popeyes > KFC any day of the week.

They are expensive, but not "prestigious" (at least to me)

I thought Harland Sanders wasn't a "real" Colonel? I think that being appointed as a Kentucky Colonel is a symbolic honor that has no military connections. Then again, I could be wrong...*off to research*
Posted from my iPhone

**Grimmlok** · September 10th, 2010, 08:15 AM

KFC is fucking disgusting, and has been for a couple decades now. The chicken is of very, VERY low quality, it's always fatty and tasteless and his secret recipe doesn't taste like anything.

Back in the day it was pretty good stuff. Still greasy and bad for you, but at least decent chicken. The meat now is tiny, shrunken and nasty fecalchicken garbage.

**Mel1973** · September 10th, 2010, 08:39 AM

Originally Posted by Little Goon

Where I come from, KFC is an upscale fast food restaurant. KFC isn't a cheap place to go to at all. A bucket of chicken can set you back 3 or 4 times the amount you would have spent at Taco Bell, McDonalds or Burger King. The only fast food place that rivals KFC in price and quality is Arbys. So I think KFC is more prestigious then some people realize.

Furthermore, Colonel Harland Sanders does deserve some respect just for being a colonel. A colonel is almost a general, and it's a pretty high military ranking, so it goes without saying that he must have had a fairly impressive military career.

At this point, the colonel is basically a historical figure, and one day will prove to be an important part of our nation's history when future school children analyze the development of fast food in America.

The colonel is also a business tycoon, which is a major accomplishment.

Not only that, but his chicken is finger lickin' good, and so are his mashed potatoes and potato wedges. Frankly, I respect the man and I am grateful that he developed his fried chicken recipes for future generations to enjoy.

Sweet bearded moises! A KFC manifesto? getthefuckout!

Originally Posted by Grimmlok

KFC is fucking disgusting, and has been for a couple decades now. The chicken is of very, VERY low quality, it's always fatty and tasteless and his secret recipe doesn't taste like anything.

Back in the day it was pretty good stuff. Still greasy and bad for you, but at least decent chicken. The meat now is tiny, shrunken and nasty fecalchicken garbage.

It's crap. If I'm going to clog my arteries with fried chicken, I'm heading to Popeyes!

**Lalique** · September 10th, 2010, 08:46 AM

Originally Posted by Little Goon

Where I come from, KFC is an upscale fast food restaurant. KFC isn't a cheap place to go to at all. A bucket of chicken can set you back 3 or 4 times the amount you would have spent at Taco Bell, McDonalds or Burger King. The only fast food place that rivals KFC in price and quality is Arbys. So I think KFC is more prestigious then some people realize.

Furthermore, Colonel Harland Sanders does deserve some respect just for being a colonel. A colonel is almost a general, and it's a pretty high military ranking, so it goes without saying that he must have had a fairly impressive military career.
At this point, the colonel is basically a historical figure, and one day will prove to be an important part of our nation's history when future school children analyze the development of fast food in America.

The colonel is also a business tycoon, which is a major accomplishment.

Not only that, but his chicken is finger lickin' good, and so are his mashed potatoes and potato wedges. Frankly, I respect the man and I am grateful that he developed his fried chicken recipes for future generations to enjoy.

From Wiki: He was given the honorary title "Kentucky Colonel" in 1935 by Governor Ruby Laffoon.

Did you think he was a real colonel?

And I had a friend who worked there in high school. She made me promise to never eat KFC because she swore that some of the "chicken" parts were not chicken.

**Novice** · September 10th, 2010, 08:46 AM

Originally Posted by Little Goon

Where I come from, KFC is an upscale fast food restaurant. KFC isn't a cheap place to go to at all. A bucket of chicken can set you back 3 or 4 times the amount you would have spent at Taco Bell, McDonalds or Burger King. The only fast food place that rivals KFC in price and quality is Arbys. So I think KFC is more prestigious then some people realize.

Furthermore, Colonel Harland Sanders does deserve some respect just for being a colonel. A colonel is almost a general, and it's a pretty high military ranking, so it goes without saying that he must have had a fairly impressive military career.

At this point, the colonel is basically a historical figure, and one day will prove to be an important part of our nation's history when future school children analyze the development of fast food in America.

The colonel is also a business tycoon, which is a major accomplishment.

Not only that, but his chicken is finger lickin' good, and so are his mashed potatoes and potato wedges. Frankly, I respect the man and I am grateful that he developed his fried chicken recipes for future generations to enjoy.

You might want to request an introduction to Mr Google....

Colonel Harland Sanders

September 9, 1890 - December 16, 1980
American businessman, and founder of the Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant franchise, Harland David Sanders started the business in 1952 and sold it in 1964, although he remained their corporate spokesman until his death. Governor Ruby Laffoon made him a Kentucky Colonel in 1935 in recognition of his contributions to the state’s cuisine. And in 1939, his establishment was first listed in Duncan Hines' "Adventures in Good Eating."
Initiated: April 6, 1917
Demitted: February 27, 1920
Lodge No. 651 (Indiana), Henryville, Indiana
Passed: 1919
Raised: 1919
Courtesy to 651 (Indiana) by Clark 40 (Indiana)
Affiliated: October 27, 1953
Demitted: April 13, 1976
Hugh Harris Lodge No. 938, Corbin, Whitley County, Kentucky Source: card file of the Grand Lodge of Kentucky, F&AM. His gravestone displays the masonic square and compasses, Shriners and Scottish Rite logos. His autobiography, Life As I Have Known It Has Been Finger Lickin' Good (Carol Stream, Illinois : Creation House, 1974 p. 29), notes his installation as a 33° Scottish Rite freemason in Washington, D.C..

And he was a freemason.... and I have further details on his army career...

Early life and career

Harland Sanders at age 20

Sanders was born to a Presbyterian family in Henryville, Indiana. His father, Wilbur David Sanders, died when Harland was five years old, and—since his mother worked—he was required to cook for his family. He dropped out of school in seventh grade. When his mother remarried he ran away from home because his stepfather beat him. During his early years, Sanders worked many jobs, including steamboat pilot, insurance salesman, railroad fireman, farmer, and enlisted in the Army as a private when he was only 16 years old (by lying about his age), spending his entire service commitment in Cuba.
At the age of 40, Sanders cooked chicken dishes and other meals for people who stopped at his service station in Corbin, Kentucky. Since he did not have a restaurant, he served customers in his living quarters in the service station. His local popularity grew, and Sanders moved to a motel and restaurant that seated 142 people and worked as the chef. Over the next nine years, he developed his method of cooking chicken. Furthermore, he made use of a pressure fryer that allowed the chicken to be cooked much faster than by pan frying.
He was given the honorary title "Kentucky Colonel" in 1935 by Governor Ruby Laffoon. He was re-commissioned in 1950 by Governor Lawrence Wetherby. Although he had been a Kentucky Colonel for nearly two decades, it wasn’t until after 1950 that Sanders began to look the part, growing his trademark mustache and goatee and donning his white suit and string tie.[2]
After the construction of Interstate 75 reduced his restaurant's customer traffic, Sanders took to franchising Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants, starting at age 65, using $105 from his first Social Security check to fund visits to potential franchisees.[3]

**darksithbunny** · September 10th, 2010, 08:47 AM

Please no. That guy is fucking creepy. Not buying any so called chicken from someone who looks like a pervert. I don't know what you did to that chicken before you sold it to me!