Fresh from bringing back its iconic "Colonel" brand mascot, KFC is launching new ads with another new actor playing the Colonel.
Norm Macdonald — the "Saturday Night Live" veteran and "Last Comic Standing" judge — is taking over from impressionist Darrell Hammond as Colonel Sanders in a new campaign for the fast-food brand, the company announced on Monday in a press release.
KFC US chief marketing officer Kevin Hochman says: "Other than not quite looking like him, his voice being different, and his inability to cook the world's best chicken, we thought Norm was the perfect choice to play the Real Colonel. I think the fans will agree."
It may sound odd, but KFC will probably be hoping the new ads will polarize viewers. The CEO of KFC parent company Yum Brands, Greg Creed, said one out of five people hated the Hammond ad campaign. But he added that it was great news "because at least now they have an opinion. They're actually talking about KFC, and you can market to love and hate; you cannot market to indifference."
The fall ad campaign refers to KFC's history and sees Macdonald playing the Colonel in his wood-paneled office.
The four spots also introduce a new family-size version of KFC's $5 fill-up meal: the $20 family fill-up, which contains eight pieces of chicken, two large orders of mashed potatoes and gravy, one large coleslaw, and four biscuits.
While some fast-food brands are struggling to maintain sales growth in the US, KFC is outperforming many of its competitors. KFC grew sales by 1% in the US in the quarter to June 13.
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