KFC x 'Chicken Wine' Collab
Is a collaboration between a fast food brand and a wine company crazy or genius? Social media users commenting on the recent collab between KFC and x La Vielle Ferme (or otherwise branded the chicken wine) have been divided. But can agree on one thing: it was a collab no one was expecting.
But in case you missed it, KFC UK & Ireland and La Vielle Ferme announced the unlikely partnership just a few days ago. The fried chicken restaurant and “chicken wine” brand are opening Coq au Vin, a limited-edition Shoreditch wine bar pairing fried chicken with wine over the August Bank Holiday weekend, per Famous Campaigns.
The affordable wine is an easy-to-drink French wine range known for it’s rose’, crisp white, and fruity red, at affordable and friendly prices. The wine became viral last year after selling 14 million bottles in the UK, per Dieline.
The experiential limited event will be held at Kachette Annex from August 28th to 31st and will pair popcorn chicken with sparkling rosé and Hot Wings with La Vieille Ferme Rouge, and Original Recipe Tenders with rosé or blanc, Famous Campaigns shared.
The Fame and Partnerships Lead at KFC shared, “We’re iconic fried chicken. They’re the iconic Chicken Wine. Coq au Vin is one of those partnerships that just makes sense,” said Phoebe Syms, per Famous Campaigns.
The KFC brand has been known to make it’s food more than an edible item, but also something that can be worn and talked about beyond its food. The brand recently had a pickle-themed nail bar in France. The KFC brand has a history of leaning into cultural obsessions and trends and for those fans of the everything pickle trend, KFC France offered ‘Pickle Nails Club’, three sets of pickle-themed press-on nails handcrafted by French nail artists, turning the ingredient into a wearable statement piece, per Famous Campaigns.
KFC isn’t the only one in this partnership thinking about creative ways to engage consumers. La Vieille Ferme recently partnered with DASH, a sparkling water brand for a limited edition drop. A peachy rose’ spritz. The limited edition kit also comes with handmade glasses and playing cards designed to inspire long summer afternoon lunches and conversation, Bridget Hurst, the brand director at DASH, shared on LinkedIn. These unusual pairings not only created buzz around the brands. They created better reasons to experience the brand, limited-edition pairings, and one-time activation events. Giving consumers somewhere to go, something to photograph and talk about, and share with other people. This collaboration is less about combining two products and more about creating a cultural moment around them.
And that is what makes the KFC and La Vieille Ferme partnership more than just a quirky brand stunt. The connection between the two brands already exists in the minds of consumers. La Vieille Ferme had earned its “Chicken Wine” reputation, and KFC has spent years turning its food into a cultural asset that can live beyond the restaurant. Rather than forcing an unlikely connection, the brands have taken an existing cultural association and given consumers a place to experience it. For marketers, this is an important takeaway: the opportunity isn't always to sell consumers something new, but to give them a new reason to experience something they already know in a new way.
