KFC has launched a Kentucky Fried Comeback, complete with new menu items, a serious new look for the Colonel, a celebrity chef cameo, and a free chicken promotion, all in the name of reclaiming its position among competitors as the No. 1 fried chicken quick service restaurant.
KFC U.S. president Catherine Tan-Gillespie told "Good Morning America" that charting the course to help pivot this legacy brand "feels personal" to her, adding, "I'm incredibly passionate about getting the brand back to its rightful place on the fried chicken podium."
As fast food restaurants vie for customers' attention and retention in the increasingly popular crispy chicken category, Gillespie said "it's the place to be, it's growing and the competitor intensity is definitely there."
"Most incumbent brands and legacy brands, sometimes we lose some ground -- so now is the time to come back," she said of KFC's new turnaround strategy.
The former CMO, who was named president in February, said she has a three-pronged approach: putting fans at the forefront, being more food obsessed, and modernizing the customer experience and pricing.
"We're no longer being chicken about our chicken," Gillespie said, before revealing the company's "most exciting promotion," free buckets of fried chicken.
"We're so confident with the strides that we've been making on our menu with our launch of Original Recipe tenders -- that we're giving this offer away where all Americans can get a free bucket on us," she said.
When customers spend $15 on the app or the website, they can get a free bucket of Original Recipe classic fried chicken or Original Recipe tenders.
KFC also announced the launch of new fried pickles, another nod to the food-obsessed fans who are all about pickles this summer.
The dill pickle slices are fried to golden perfection and served with the brand's signature Comeback Sauce or ranch.
Gillespie also reminded consumers about the return of the popular $7 Fill Ups value meal, which offers four combination options: three-piece tenders, one-piece fried chicken, two-piece fried chicken -- which come with mashed potatoes, gravy, a biscuit, pie poppers and a medium drink -- or the Famous Bowl for just $7.
As part of the comeback campaign, KFC flipped the Colonel's smile to serious in store signage and billboards, which Gillespie said indicates the brand is serious about winning back hearts and stomachs of fans.
"The Colonel would not be happy about our market share," Gillespie said. "So this is to say we're serious about being back in the game. The Colonel's not going to be smiling until our customers are."
The Louisville-based fried chicken chain tapped chef, restaurateur and TV star Matty Matheson to appear in a new spot that highlights Colonel Sanders as the original "chefpreneur" in his culinary quest to create the best fried chicken.
See the video below.
