Country singer and sitcom star Reba McEntire made history as the first-ever woman and first musician to ever portray the chicken tycoon Harland Sanders, popularly known as Colonel Sanders. Her commercial was the first of a series of KFC ads that introduced their new flavor, Smoky Mountain BBQ, and it’s reminiscent of the classic commercials that made KFC a beloved chicken brand.
According to the mega-chain’s then-executive creative director Eric Baldwin, his team realized that instead of trying to cast one actor to play the role of KFC’s founder, it would be better to have celebrities pay homage to his character. And McEntire was a big fan, as she grew up eating their chicken in Oklahoma.
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“I said, ‘Holy smokes! KFC has been a part of my life forever,” the country icon said when she was first approached by KFC. And then, in her announcement of her ambassadorship, she expressed her excitement about being a part of their story as they had been a part of hers. “I’ve held a lot of roles in my life — sort of like the Colonel himself — but this is certainly the most unique one yet.”
Reba McEntire as Colonel Sanders
Reba McEntire’s Southern roots, which are perfect for the launch of their barbeque-flavored chicken (and the reason why they picked her, too), and love for KFC made her the best brand endorser.
The ad started with Reba on the stage of a honky tonk saloon in the iconic Colonel Sanders look – white hair, white mustache, and of course, white suit with fringe on the back and some glitters for a country flair – capturing everyone’s attention with her song about the new smoky chicken. She sings, “I’m Colonel Sanders, the same as always, absolutely nothing’s changed.” Then she whips out her cowboy hat and throws it.
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The hat lands on Reba as Reba herself in the audience, and then the Colonel continues, “Please ignore any likeness to famous country singers, I’m definitely not a woman.” The crowd starts to go wild, and then she finally introduces the star of the performance: the smoky mountain BBQ chicken. And then it got even wilder. Suddenly, cops bust inside. But instead of breaking out the crowd, they joined in on the fun and started line dancing.
The ad finished with Reba saying the brand’s signature line, “It’s finger lickin’ good!”
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Reba’s transformation into Colonel Sanders was definitely for the books. And the singer thought it was really funny. “I got a big kick out of it,” she said.
Watch Reba McEntire as Colonel Sanders in her KFC ad in the video below.
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