If you're not familiar with the story of KFC in Japan it makes for an interesting story. This guy will post the story every year and I read it even though I've already done so many times in the past. This is a quick summary of the history.
Today, KFC in Japan will sell 5-10x more chicken than any day of the year.
Millions of Japanese citizens will line up for their bucket of Christmas Eve fried chicken.
Here’s the story behind this annual tradition:
KFC opened its first Japanese location in the small city of Nagoya in 1970.
This was one year BEFORE McDonald’s opened their first location in Tokyo!
Part of KFC’s appeal in Japan was the fact that the Colonel’s secret recipe was similar to a traditional Japanese dish called Karaage.
After a few years in business, KFC franchisees realized they needed to find a creative way to stand out in the fast-growing franchise market.
So, they set their sights on Christmas –
There are a number of theories about why KFC began marketing itself as a Christmas meal in Japan.
One is that a KFC Manager falsely marketed fried chicken as a traditional American Christmas food to boost sales.
Another theory is that westerners living in Japan needed a Turkey alternative when the full-sized birds didn’t fit in Japanese ovens.
But the “official” story is that a KFC manager, Takeshi Okawara, attended a party dressed as Santa and noticed how much the children loved it.
No matter where the idea came from, it inspired a wildly successful marketing campaign.
Beginning in 1974, KFC Japan began running a “Kentucky Christmas” ad campaign.
The commercials framed the KFC “Party Barrel” as something to be shared with the whole family on Christmas.
There’s a reason for this tactic.
Since <1% of Japanese identify as Christian, Christmas is a secular holiday for most of the country. This also means there’s no established Christmas traditions.
So, the ad campaign created a new one — one that puts KFC chicken at the center.
And it worked.
In just 11 years, the number of KFC locations in Japan grew to over 300, earning ~$200M a year.
During the same period, Japan’s entire fast food industry grew by over 600%.
People will place their Christmas Party Barrel pre-orders months in advance. Then, on Christmas Eve, they may wait in line for hours to pick it up. This marketing campaign is so successful that 5-10x more KFC chicken is sold on 12/24 than any other day of the year.
Today, KFC in Japan will sell 5-10x more chicken than any day of the year.
Millions of Japanese citizens will line up for their bucket of Christmas Eve fried chicken.
Here’s the story behind this annual tradition:
KFC opened its first Japanese location in the small city of Nagoya in 1970.
This was one year BEFORE McDonald’s opened their first location in Tokyo!
Part of KFC’s appeal in Japan was the fact that the Colonel’s secret recipe was similar to a traditional Japanese dish called Karaage.
After a few years in business, KFC franchisees realized they needed to find a creative way to stand out in the fast-growing franchise market.
So, they set their sights on Christmas –
There are a number of theories about why KFC began marketing itself as a Christmas meal in Japan.
One is that a KFC Manager falsely marketed fried chicken as a traditional American Christmas food to boost sales.
Another theory is that westerners living in Japan needed a Turkey alternative when the full-sized birds didn’t fit in Japanese ovens.
But the “official” story is that a KFC manager, Takeshi Okawara, attended a party dressed as Santa and noticed how much the children loved it.
No matter where the idea came from, it inspired a wildly successful marketing campaign.
Beginning in 1974, KFC Japan began running a “Kentucky Christmas” ad campaign.
The commercials framed the KFC “Party Barrel” as something to be shared with the whole family on Christmas.
There’s a reason for this tactic.
Since <1% of Japanese identify as Christian, Christmas is a secular holiday for most of the country. This also means there’s no established Christmas traditions.
So, the ad campaign created a new one — one that puts KFC chicken at the center.
And it worked.
In just 11 years, the number of KFC locations in Japan grew to over 300, earning ~$200M a year.
During the same period, Japan’s entire fast food industry grew by over 600%.
People will place their Christmas Party Barrel pre-orders months in advance. Then, on Christmas Eve, they may wait in line for hours to pick it up. This marketing campaign is so successful that 5-10x more KFC chicken is sold on 12/24 than any other day of the year.
