KFC Advertising Is A Bit Odd To Say The Least

KFC Corporation

There will forever be a bevy of commercials on the airwaves to delight (annoy, amuse, infuriate, inform) us when we flip on our television sets. And the good folks at Kentucky Fried Chicken have more than a few doozies currently airing nationwide that have me scratching my head.

And let me tell you something: They’re kinda creepy.

“It’s a commercial for chicken, Michael. How creepy could it be?” you may ask.

Damned creepy. Take a look:

KFC Corporation

Now, I don’t know about you but, after seeing that spot, Saturday Night Live alumni Darrell Hammond — for all intents and purposes aping a reasonable facsimile of Colonel Harland Sanders (in appearance at any rate) — comes off a bit tilted with some rather questionable mannerisms.

Curiously: What’s with the odd laugh? Don’t you find it somewhat strange? I do … because it is strange. Is “The Colonel” trying to pull one over on us? He seems to be the only one who understands his own jokes. The real Colonel Harland Sanders was never that offbeat. I don’t remember him with all the quirks and kinks the way Hammond portrays him. Whose bright idea was it to inject the idiosyncrasies? I don’t want anyone — kids, parents, grandmas, whoever — accepting a chicken leg or a chicken wing from someone who stutter-chuckles and seems as if he may have slipped something other than eleven herbs and spices in the recipe.

KFC Corporation

And it might be well and fine to add chunks of KFC’s signature chicken to a side of beans (I don’t have any first-hand knowledge of that particular taste delight as I’ve never tried it) but … chicken in lemonade?!? What kind of nonsense do we have going on there? It’s not even a good joke.

I don’t know. Maybe the agency granted the account took its queues from some of KFC’s past ads. For example, here’s one from the mid-60s … and it doesn’t take much imagination to catch wind of the S&M overtones and other peculiarities:

KFC Corporation

I don’t think I’m too far off base in stating this one has a little bit of a Lynchian flare. Not your average, everyday commercial spot.

“First we take some eggs and some milk and 10 ounces of flour and savory and we have … 4 ounces of grandfather’s overcoat. Finally I add … uh … 3 shoelaces and a hubcap.” tweet

Hmmmmmmmmmm … come to think of it, maybe Hammond isn’t so far off the mark after all …