KFC Canada has seen more people becoming home bodies, something that could be heightened as winter approaches.
To tap into that growing behaviour, the QSR has brought its “11 Herbs & Spices Firelog” to Canada. When lit, the log emits the scent of Colonel Sanders’ 11 herbs and spices and will be sold at Canadian Tire stores across the country and on its ecommerce platform.
The firelog launched in the U.S. in 2018, and last year, the product sold out in mere hours after going on sale. According to Samantha Redman, CMO at KFC Canada, in recent years Canadian consumers had been asking online via the brand’s social media channels if the firelogs were available in Canada. Redman attributes the Canadian buzz in recent years to Canadian consumers’ affinity for the brand and intrigue in limited time offers.
“People love limited edition branded ways of getting their hands on something that’s really unique,” she says. “What makes us more distinctive than the smell of our original recipe, herbs and spices?”
Redman says the goal is to provide Canadians with a little bit of comfort and relief, during a year that has been especially tough, as “Canada’s winter season and fireplaces go together like an iconic KFC bucket of chicken and gravy.”
What’s more, the brand is hoping the firelogs evoke positive feelings of nostalgia – childhood memories of family Sunday picnics eating KFC – that brrought people together. “Bringing people together” is part of the brand’s core, Redman notes, as a bucket of chicken is designed to be shared with others.
“It goes together with this idea of wanting to be in the comfort of and the safety of our homes, surrounded by the things that make us feel good – like a warm fire on a cold evening, with family and with the comforts and nostalgia of the scent of KFC.”
Redman adds that the firelog ladders up to KFC’s broader approach of creating marketing that’s “relevant, easy and distinctive.”
KFC is no stranger to buzz-generating LTOs in Canada either, from an online store stocked with Colonel-themed merch to selling chicken for bitcoin, to creating a bucket that took and printed selfies. One thing that’s different between those executions and the firelog is that it’s being made widely available through Canadian Tire, instead of through small giveaways to fans or during short promo periods.
“It’s just one of those opportunities for us to create a little bit of lighthearted fun and make our brand as distinctive as it is [with our] bucket of chicken,” she says. “
The KFC firelogs are being promoted via earned media and social. Edelman Canada managed the media and PR support.
