By Heather Taylor, Editor-in-Chief, PopIcon
In the now-decade I’ve been covering brand mascots for PopIcon, I’ve witnessed a handful of moments where characters have attempted to pivot into music.
One of the most memorable examples was when Hamburger Helper’s Lefty dropped a mixtape called “Watch the Stove” in 2016. The nod to Jay-Z and Kanye West’s “Watch the Throne” album featured five tracks you can still listen to on Soundcloud. The mixtape made a sizeable splash upon its debut. At least three tracks have been played more than 1 million times. We even landed an interview with Lefty himself to get the mascot’s take on what inspired him to drop a mixtape and whether he has any beef with vegetarians. Goofy? Yes. Hitting all the right viral buttons at the time? Also, yes. This marketing stunt hasn’t aged the best, but nobody blames Lefty for that. The mascot was doing what characters do best. Lefty leaned all the way into the silliness of the concept and had fun with it.
The same can’t be said for Colonel Sanders in KFC’s first single “Finger Lickin’ Machine.”
Billed by KFC as a “real single” and not a catchy jingle, the music video slash 90 second commercial spot takes place in a KFC boardroom. Colonel Sanders pitches the KFC Box Feast meals to a group of shareholders. They’re outraged about being encouraged to sell value meals to consumers and demand to know who the Colonel thinks he is.
Uh, the company mascot? A bigger icon than any stiff shirt in this room can ever hope to be?
The Colonel responds by saying, “I’m a finger lickin’ machine.”
He leaps on top of the boardroom table and starts dancing. As the lyrics oscillate between “finger lickin’ machine” and the chorus chants “fried, fried, fried,” the Colonel shoves a chicken sandwich into an executive’s mouth to quiet his complaints and heads out into the night with a box of chicken. The Colonel passes out pieces of chicken to random strangers on the street and dances his way up the side of a hi-rise building. Up on the roof, he does a few backflips before flinging himself off the roof as “do not attempt” warnings in tiny type flash on the screen.
It’s like watching a far less impressive version of Fatboy Slim’s “Weapon of Choice” music video.
“Watch the Stove” might have dropped during peak millennial optimism era, but at least it was of its time. “Finger Lickin’ Machine” feels like it came out at least a decade ago. I don’t like the title (yeah, it’s a nod to the KFC slogan but it doesn’t sound… right) or the lack of clever lyrics.
Speaking of the lyrics, what is this song even about? KFC said in a press release listening to “Finger Lickin’ Machine” is supposed to evoke the feeling of getting more food than you expected after you order a new Box Feast. Ah yes, that great moment where we’re all excitedly shouting out “FINGER LICKIN’ MACHINE!!” instead of “yes!” or “awesome!” when there’s an extra piece of chicken in the bag.
Before I sign off, I have a few liner notes should KFC decide to drop another single.
Besides Hamburger Helper, another good example of brand mascots who briefly dabbled in music are Snap, Crackle and Pop. The Rice Krispies trio starred in “Vibin’” a 2020 commercial spot where the cereal brand smartly turned its mascots into a band and made their product, cereal that naturally talks once hit with milk, sing.
There could be aspects to these mascots in music success stories for KFC to take notes from. Maybe the next single re-introduces listeners to Value Meal pricing for every budget? Or it samples the scene in South Park where Eric Cartman eats all the skin off the KFC chicken?
What if the Colonel sings or at least contributes a verse or two? (KFC is credited as the artist on Spotify.)
Just a few thoughts worth chewing over.
Image credit: KFC
About the Author
Heather Taylor is the senior writer and editor-in-chief of PopIcon, Advertising Week’s blog about brand mascots. Got a pitch on brand mascots or want to wax nostalgic about characters? Drop her a line at howveryheather@gmail.com.
