Colonel for a day
Client: KFC Italia
Year: 2024
KFC Italia marks 10 years and 100+ restaurants by handing the Colonel crown to customers, letting everyday fans step into the brand’s iconic face.
Challenge
Celebrate explosive growth without corporate self-praise, needed to honor the real heroes (customers) in a memorable, shareable way that reignites brand love amid anniversary fatigue.
Idea
“Colonel for a Day” flips the script: fans replace Colonel Sanders’ face via live AI filter on the store sign, turning passive eaters into living legends who own the logo for a day. Teaser builds hype; post-event clips fuel social fire.
Solution
Custom AI filter swaps user faces onto Colonel in real-time, beaming massive on Piazza XXVI Maggio restaurant sign, hundreds experienced their grinning mug inside the KFC bucket logo. Event hub in Milan buzzed November 8 with photo ops, branded merch, and chicken feasts. Weeks-long teaser dropped cryptic Colonel hints across Meta/TikTok; follow-up repurposed user clips into viral recaps, extending the thrill.
Impact
Customers became the story, generating endless shares and proving KFC grows because of its people, not despite them, and cementing 10 years as a fan-owned milestone.
Credits
Agency: Lateral Creative Hub
Client: KFC Italia
Project: Colonel for a day – 10 anni KFC Italia
Activity: Integrated campaign
Creative Studio: Lateral Creative Hub
Executive Creative Directors: Francesco Fallisi, Federica Bello
Creative Directors: Francesco Fallisi, Federica Bello, Simona Angioni,
Senior Art Director: Jessica Luce Puleo
Art Director: Francesco Mussini
Copywriter: Giorgio Menaldo
Junior Art director: Moreno Moser
Strategist: Marcelo Peretti Kuhn
Client Director: Carla Perrot
Production Company: Freeda Platform
Social Activation: Kiwi, Part of Uniting Group
