Dive Brief:
- To get its customers into the holiday spirit, KFC released new seasonal merchandise on its e-commerce site KFC Ltd., including fried chicken-themed pillows, apparel and wrapping paper, according to a press release from the company.
- Starting at $4, the limited-edition products are relatively affordable and will only be available online while supplies last. The move aims to attract procrastinating holiday shoppers who can quickly order gifts and have more time to enjoy KFC's $20 Fill Up meal, George Felix, KFC's U.S. director of advertising, noted in a statement
- This is the first time the Yum! Brands' online collection has undergone a full refresh since its initial launch in July. Since then, the company has sold other seasonal products including a $10,000 "internet escape pod" around Cyber Monday and vintage Colonel Sanders costumes and trick-or-treat buckets around Halloween.
Dive Insight:
After unveiling edible nail polish and chicken-scented sunscreen earlier this year, KFC is embracing the holidays with some festive apparel and accessories. The latest product marketing stunt adds to the company's continued efforts to offer consumers novelty branded merchandise, but it feels especially relevant for this time of year, where some of the items — like a "Colonel Santa" long-sleeved shirt or a money clip that's engraved with the words "legal tenders" — could make for a gag gift.
KFC launched KFC Ltd. earlier this year by selling a meteorite carved to look its Zinger chicken sandwich for $20,000, along with tamer offerings like apparel. A refreshed product line-up for the holidays reinforces how the e-commerce initiative isn't just a one-off stunt but rather something the brand might repeatedly try to leverage around key sales periods and other seasonally-relevant marketing windows.
Branded e-commerce had an impressive showing during the holidays last year, with an online luxury catalog from Frito-Lay's Cheetos brand, which included hot pants and a $20,000 piece of jewelry, and a gift-giving website from Oreo. The trend's continued to gain traction well into 2017, with similar efforts by Pizza Hut and a partnership between Taco Bell and the retailer Forever 21.
Beyond providing an extra little bit of revenue, the hope is that the sheer ridiculousness of these efforts gets consumers talking and sharing about them on social media.
