My quick take on recent KFC brand developments.  It was 1991 when Kentucky Fried Chicken –battling concerns over the unhealthiness of deep frying— decided to get “Fried” out of their brand name and use their initials instead (here’s Slate’s take).  Of course, they kept right on frying their chicken!

But even though this meant eliminating “Kentucky” from their name, they were careful not to cut their ties to their famous founder, Colonel Sanders.  They’ve even turned him into a bobblehead that you can buy on their website!

I’ve talked before about how when some brands go national/international (US Air, for instance), they ditch their regional associations in hopes of appealing to a wider target market.  But sometimes brands can go the opposite way too when it works for them!  Something like this is happening with KFC.  Kentucky is in the process of officially naming KFC the state’s official picnic food!  Here’s the story from a Kentucky paper!  A great example of how once you’ve successfully taken your brand to the next level, you can still build your brand regionally!  Stay tuned, but I think this one will be a winner for KFC!  On the other hand, I don’t think going “healthy” (they’re test marketing grilled chicken in Indianapolis) is going to work for them as well –grilled is just not their brand!!!

And, remember, it’s always easier when you keep branding in mind!