Is imitation the sincerest form of flattery? KFC says “yes”

KFC, the famous chicken fast-food chain, has launched a marketing campaign in the United Kingdom by taking aim at chicken shops around the country that have blatantly imitated KFC’s iconic branding. Where other companies may have issued cease and desist letters, KFC used the imitation to its advantage.

The chicken shops, with names such as “JFC”, “WFC” and “TFC”, have copied KFC’s three-lettered name, coloring, and logo. However, the campaign makes the point that no matter how they look, these shops simply cannot compete with the taste of KFC’s “original recipe.”

The campaign, both in print and as a 60-second video ad, features images from the various chicken shops in alphabetic order alongside the line: “Guys, we’re flattered.” The video version of the ad features the soundtrack from the film, The Godfather.

Meghan Farren, chief marketing officer at KFC UK and Ireland, reportedly said: “It’s flattering to have this entire legion of imitators and we wish every chicken shop out there the best of luck. But there’s nowhere else you can get the Colonel’s original recipe. We invest time, effort and skill into freshly hand-breading Kentucky Fried Chicken in our kitchens – all day, every day – and that’s why you can only get KFC at KFC.

Authors: Jaclyn Tilak and Yonca Umur, 2018/2019 Articling Student-at-law