KFC celebrated the sale of Colonel Sanders' former home by promising the new owner a year's worth of free chicken.
The historic house in Mississauga, Ontario, where Colonel Sanders lived from 1965 until his death in 1980, officially sold after being listed for sale in May. Sanders moved to Canada to oversee KFC's operations there, making the property an important part of the brand's history.
To generate excitement around the listing, KFC Canada launched a playful campaign featuring a Colonel Sanders lookalike offering a full year of free KFC to whoever purchased the home.
"If owning a piece of history isn't incentive enough, I'm giving away a year's supply of KFC to whoever buys it," the mascot said in a promotional video, which ended with a mock contract for the giveaway.
KFC later revealed that the home sold shortly after the promotion launched, although the buyer's identity has not been disclosed.
"When a home with this much KFC history hits the market, a standard welcome basket just isn't going to cut it," said Jordan Sequeira, Senior Marketing Manager, Brand & Communications at KFC Canada. He described the promotion as a fun way to celebrate one of the brand's most unique real estate stories.
The campaign follows a growing trend of brands turning unexpected viral moments into marketing opportunities. Earlier this year, KitKat also attracted attention after responding humorously to the theft of a truck carrying more than 400,000 chocolate bars.