Country Strong
ADWEEK|March 5, 2018

WHY BRANDS LIKE KFC, BUDWEISER, WAFFLE HOUSE AND MORE ARE BUZZING ABOUT COUNTRY MUSIC.

Kristina Monllos
Country Strong

Reba McEntire had to get used to the feel of a mustache on her face to play Colonel Sanders. The first woman and first musician to embody Colonel Sanders, as part of Wieden + Kennedy’s ongoing celebrity colonel campaign, McEntire put on the spokescharacter’s famous white suit, mustache and goatee this past December to film a 60-second spot and sing a honky-tonk song to promote a new BBQ chicken dish. “I got a big kick out of the transformation and wearing the wig,” McEntire previously told Adweek. “The hardest part was when they said to me, ‘We want you to eat this piece of chicken while you’re the Colonel,’ and I looked at them and I looked at the band and they had mustaches and I said, ‘How do y’all eat with the mustache?’”

Using McEntire, one of the most famous faces in country music, to promote chicken might seem like a natural first for KFC. And it is. But it’s also part of a growing trend: Country is having a moment, and KFC’s move comes at a time when brands like Nissan, Forever 21, Citibank, Barefoot Wine and cosmetics company Too Faced see country artists and their fans as a not-to-be missed opportunity to tap.

Just look at this year’s South by Southwest. The festival, which takes place March 9-17 in Austin, Texas, will see a solo-branded country music showcase. While the lineup of Sony Music Nashville hit makers is diverse—Elle King, Kane Brown and Old Crow Medicine Show— on March 15, when fans descend upon the stage at Fair Market in Austin, they’ll only see one brand name: Budweiser.

Denne historien er fra March 5, 2018-utgaven av ADWEEK.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra March 5, 2018-utgaven av ADWEEK.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA ADWEEKSe alt
News Anchor Of The Year Megyn Kelly
ADWEEK

News Anchor Of The Year Megyn Kelly

From Trump to ailes, the fox news personality fearlessly faces off with the powers that be—and ends up crushing the cable ratings race.

time-read
5 mins  |
November 28, 2016
The Big Bang
ADWEEK

The Big Bang

Global consultancies are rocking the agency world, creating a new universe of offerings that meld marketing and technology.

time-read
10 mins  |
March 13, 2017
DROGA5
ADWEEK

DROGA5

Using the fingers on just one hand, David Droga argues, you can count the number of agencies that possess a “strong soul.”

time-read
6 mins  |
December 05, 2016
Ogily
ADWEEK

Ogily

When it comes to leadership changes, 2016 will be remembered as a time of disruption.

time-read
6 mins  |
December 05, 2016
The Myth of White Space
ADWEEK

The Myth of White Space

'Brands have to stand out in an obvious crowd—not stand alone in an unusual spot that no one cares about.'

time-read
4 mins  |
December 12, 2016
Brand Phelps
ADWEEK

Brand Phelps

Can the greatest olympian in history be as dominant out of the pool as he was in it?

time-read
10+ mins  |
December 12, 2016
Masters Of Their Domain
ADWEEK

Masters Of Their Domain

WHY DIGITAL BRANDS ARE KILLING IT IN ECOMMERCE. BY LAUREN JOHNSON

time-read
3 mins  |
April 16, 2018
Winners' Playbook
ADWEEK

Winners' Playbook

BRANDS OFTEN FIND THAT WHEN THEY AIM TO DO GOOD, THEY ALSO END UP DOING WELL. HERE ARE FOUR RULES TO KEEP IN MIND. BY DAN TYNAN

time-read
2 mins  |
April 16, 2018
Flipping The Disruption Script
ADWEEK

Flipping The Disruption Script

THE FORTUNE 500 SHOULDN’T REST ON THEIR LAURELS OF HAVING A FIRST-TO- MARKET ADVANTAGE.

time-read
3 mins  |
December 4, 2017
MCCann
ADWEEK

MCCann

All things old were new again in 2017 as McCann dominated the U.S. agency landscape with a string of wins and created the most-discussed campaign of the year in Fearless Girl. 

time-read
7 mins  |
December 4, 2017