If approaching aliens happened upon a KFC chicken sandwich floating around in near-Earth orbit, would their first taste of Earthling food send them scurrying back to where they came from, or prompt them to continue with their intergalactic mission in a bid to learn more about those mysterious multicellular organisms pottering about on the blue planet a few miles below?
KFC’s upcoming project, or “outlandish marketing stunt” to give it its proper description, will involve sending its brand new spicy Zinger sandwich — which launches in the U.S. on Monday — into space. Why? We have no idea.
The fast-food outfit has hired Hollywood actor Rob Lowe as the latest celebrity to play Colonel Sanders, the brand’s founder. Kitted out in a specially designed spacesuit based on the Colonel’s regular outfit, an ad released over the weekend has Sanders addressing the nation in an appearance that brings to mind Kennedy’s historic 1962 space speech, though it’s fair to say Kennedy made no reference whatsoever to fast food during his famous address.
“We choose not only to launch KFC’s new Zinger sandwich in a $5 fill-up here in America, but to take it to space,” Sanders tells a watching nation, adding, “Can you actually launch KFC’s wold-famous chicken Zinger sandwich into space? The answer is, ‘We certainly hope so. Our entire marketing campaign depends on it.'”
Zinger challenge
“I have no idea how we’ll launch a chicken sandwich into space, but the marketing team thinks they can do it,” KFC’s U.S. president Kevin Hochman said in a release. “What I do know is the Zinger is the bestselling KFC chicken sandwich in 120 countries and it’s now available in America.”
The space stunt will possibly involve calling up Jeff Bezos or Elon Musk, both of whom have been making regular space-bound trips using their reusable rocket systems. Or KFC could simply tie it to a weather balloon and send it skyward in the same way that these guys did with a meat pie last year.
Whatever the case, KFC promises to release more details of its stunt in the coming weeks with a view to making it a reality in June. Bet you can’t wait.
