American fried chicken restaurant chain KFC has launched a new campaign that includes a subtle yet significant change to its iconic branding.
In its promotion in France for November, the company has opted to "shave" off Colonel Sanders' beard, giving him a new and nearly unrecognizable look.
KFC France's No-Shave November campaign will entail a clean-shaven Colonel Sanders on all of the company's marketing materials for the entire month. Apart from getting more attention to its brand, the campaign is also aimed at raising awareness and funds for men's health initiatives.
The campaign, which officially kicked off this week, and its new logo is partly encouraging customers to support charities of their choosing. Under the campaign, developed by creative agency Sid Lee Paris, the company is encouraging men to join the no-shave trend.
"Movember rules: Start on day one with a clean shave, let your mustache grow for a whole month," one of the chain's marketing materials had read.
The trend, which is also known online as "Movember," has been held globally each year since 2003. It was started by the Movember Foundation, which also oversees the Movember charity event. The organization aims to tackle men's health issues such as testicular cancer, prostate cancer, suicides, and mental health.
Since it started, the foundation has backed more than 1,200 men's health initiatives around the world. According to its website, the organization is aiming to reduce the premature deaths of men by over 25%.
Apart from KFC, other major corporations have also joined the global initiative. Food manufacturing company Kellog's recently joined the initiative by removing the facial hair from its iconic Pringles mascot. In previous years, Burger King also launched a campaign that saw the removal of its mascot's beard to raise awareness.
While some people have lauded KFC's move to raise awareness, others have slammed the company for defacing the Colonel. Some critics of the company's marketing campaign have said that the Colonel is now "unrecognizable" in the promotion and pointed out that he was a real person and therefore should be depicted the way he looked.
