As the festive season begins in Japan, a local Christmas tradition involving the world’s largest food chain attracts attention. KFC Japan has the most sales during this time of year, with December 24th being the busiest day of the year.
It is ten times busier than KFC Japan’s annual average and has been in fashion since the 1970s.
The Back Story of “Kentucky for Christmas” in Japan:
It all began in the late 1960s when Japanese people began to enjoy Christmas as a seasonal event, after local confectionery companies began promoting cakes and sweets for children at this time of year. hosted parties. Initially, the celebrations were only for the entertainment of the children.
Then, in the 1970s, KFC came to Japan and, in 1974, launched the first KFC Christmas campaign, selling a bucket of KFC’s famous fried chicken with a bottle of wine and suggesting to use it for a Christmas party. Not only for children, but also for adults.
The original idea for the campaign came when a foreign customer visiting KFC in Tokyo on Christmas Day said, “I can’t get turkey in Japan, so I have no choice but to celebrate Christmas with Kentucky Fried Chicken.” ” A member of the team, the KFC Japan sales team, overheard the comment and used it as inspiration to launch the first Christmas campaign and its tagline – Kentucky for Christmas. The campaign was a hit, and Kentucky for Christmas quickly became a tradition across Japan that survives today.
Since its original launch in 1974, KFC Japan’s Christmas campaign has continued to evolve to include colonel figurines in Santa’s costume outside restaurants across the country and Christmas-exclusive menu items such as premium roast chicken, a Contains premium, locally grown and sourced. Chicken that is hand-crafted and stuffed with cheese and mushrooms is freshly baked at the restaurant. KFC Japan begins advertising and taking pre-orders and reservations for its holiday specials in late October to get the country excited for the upcoming Christmas season.
The famous party bucket also changes every year, with different side options, comes with a new festive bucket design and a commemorative plate inside. While the design of the bucket and sides may change every year, KFC’s famous fried chicken party remains at the center of the bucket and over the Christmas holiday in Japan. Kentucky for Christmas is a Japanese tradition that is here to stay.
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