Food & Beverage

KFC Canada bids farewell to old fry recipe in 'funeral'

KFC Canada's latest advertising bids farewell to the brand's old fries as it rolls out a new recipe. Provided.

July 31, 2023

KFC Canada is rolling out New Seasoned Fries, and Canadians can try a side of them for $1 at restaurants, on the website and on KFC's app, according to a press release.

The brand says its fries have been panned in the past, so it came up with a new fry recipe. A marketing campaign with an online funeral for its old fries has been created, with a livestream 'funeral' held on Aug. 1 at 12 p.m. on KFCFryFuneral.com.

"We knew that Canadians hated our old fries and so we saw this as an opportunity to show our fans we hear them by changing up this menu item and launching it in a fun way," Azim Akhtar, director of marketing, KFC Canada, said in the press release. "The KFC brand is all about being bold and fun. This satirical campaign allows us to introduce an exciting new product that we're proud of, while making light of a product that wasn't as beloved by Canadians."

KFC's Fries' new creative campaign was made in partnership with creative AOR Courage.

"Canadians rated KFC Old Fries as the lowest-rated fry in the nation. Naturally something needed to change," Dhaval Bhatt, CCO of Courage, said in the press release. "When we heard KFC Canada reference the box the old box as 'The Fry Coffin', we saw an opportunity to really send the not-so-beloved spuds off in a big way. And what's bigger than a public funeral procession throughout the streets of Toronto."

KFC operates more than 23,000 restaurants in more than 140 countries and territories around the world, including more than 600 locations in Canada.