Fried Chicken War - KFC Seeks to Revive Its Brand

Once an icon, KFC is facing declining sales and increasing competition, falling behind its rivals in customer base and receiving negative reviews as it is ranked among the worst fried chicken chains.

However, the fried chicken giant says it hasn't given up yet. With a new leadership team, a massive campaign and a carefully calculated strategy, KFC is betting big on a makeover to regain its lost position.

Against this backdrop, the company's new leadership team is launching a brand revival campaign called Kentucky Fried Comeback in July 2025, aiming to regain its former glory.

Catherine Tan-Gillespie, President of KFC USA, said that it seems that competitors, including sister brands within the same group, are all interested in entering the fried chicken market, proving that this is an attractive playing field. However, like many other long-standing brands, KFC has somewhat lost its position.

Tan-Gillespie, who has 10 years of experience at KFC and has held the positions of chief marketing officer and chief development officer, was appointed president of KFC Americas on April 1. Together with new CEO Scott Mezvinsky, who takes office in January 2025, Tan-Gillespie is aiming to revive the 72-year-old fried chicken chain.

In the first week of the campaign, thanks to a promotion that offered a free eight-piece chicken meal with orders of $15 or more, the company saw “a spike in KFC Rewards membership sign-ups and app downloads, along with unprecedented digital traffic,” said Tan-Gillespie. It was also the chain’s highest-ever week for digital sales and transactions.

For more than 10 years, KFC's total revenue has been far behind competitors like Chick-fil-A and Popeyes.

The situation got worse in June 2025, when KFC lost its third place spot to newcomer Raising Cane's, a 28-year-old fried chicken chain that CNBC said would surpass $5.1 billion in revenue by 2024. At the same time, KFC's annual same-store sales fell for the fifth consecutive quarter.

The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) also showed disappointing results as consumer satisfaction with KFC dropped 5% in 2024.

Earlier this month, Yelp released its ranking of the top 20 fried chicken chains serving chicken sandwiches nationwide, and KFC came in at number 18. The long-standing fried chicken chain also didn't make the top five in any region of the country.

The first phase of the comeback focused on refreshing the menu with fried pickles, while KFC also boosted the nostalgia factor by bringing back the iconic Colonel Sanders image in marketing materials.

Notably, Matty Matheson, a Canadian celebrity chef known for his role in the hit series "The Bear" on the Hulu video streaming subscription service, will star in a series of commercials for the chain.

Experts say KFC’s strategy has promise, but the road ahead is rocky. RJ Hottovy, head of analytics at data firm Placer.ai, said menu changes, promotions and new marketing campaigns will help increase brand awareness in the short term.

However, the market remains fiercely competitive and a real comeback will require more significant improvements in menu, marketing and real estate strategy.

With consumers increasingly price-sensitive and with more choices than ever, KFC must ensure it appeals to the widest possible audience while maintaining the reputation that has helped it grow to more than 30,000 restaurants worldwide , said Usha Haley, head of international business and professor of management at Wichita State University's Barton School of Business.

(TTXVN/Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/cuoc-chien-ga-ran-kfc-tim-cach-hoi-sinh-thuong-hieu-post1056265.vnp