Behind KFC’s Fully-Functional Holiday Bucket Lid Vinyls
Undoubtedly, one of the most important elements of the holidays is the music. Sure, if you’re a retail worker it might not invoke the best of feelings, but whether it’s Wham’s ‘Last Christmas’, Mariah Carey’s annual unthawing, or an old-time Christmas classic being played over the speakers, nothing screams December quite like the sounds associated with the season.
As it turns out, way back in the late ‘60s, Colonel Sanders of KFC fame felt the same way. In fact, holiday music was so important to him that he actually released three records – a little-known fact which Courage, KFC Canada’s agency of representation, came across a few years ago. So, having sat on this historical tidbit for a while, this year felt like the right moment to play off the Colonel’s legacy.
To this end, the agency decided to ride the resurgence of vinyl records and release ‘Kentucky Fried Carols', four remixed versions of classic Christmas songs, brought to life with the unmistakable sounds of KFC’s kitchen.
However, things didn’t just stop there. To truly make it ownable to the brand, Courage decided to see if these vinyls could be printed on the iconic KFC bucket lids… to which the answer was a resounding yes. With each packed in its own custom-designed sleeve, those who are/have bee lucky enough to win one of the limited-edition vinyls can now bring the spirit of the season into their homes, while simultaneously claiming a piece of brand heritage as their own.
To learn more about this process, and just what it took to turn the brand’s bucket lids into functional vinyl records, LBB’s Jordan Won Neufeldt sat down with Courage art director Marina Khouzam and writer Ethan Gans for a chat.
LBB> A bucket lid turned into a functional record is an awesome idea! Where did it come from, and what were the talks with KFC like?
Marina> The idea was a long time coming; the initial spark came out of the brief for the 2023 holidays. Working on any brand, you naturally do a deep dive to find inspiration, and after much internet sleuthing, we discovered the Colonel’s connection to holiday records. This, in combination with the resurgence of vinyl – it just felt like a natural connection that needed to happen.
It wasn’t until later in the creative development process, once we got closer to the final deliverables, that this idea came up. It was more of an aside – separate from the brief – but as soon as it got brought up, it was an instant hit on our side and KFC’s.
Ethan> You hear a lot in the industry, ‘Give the clients what they want, then show them what they need’. Do the work they’ve asked for, and then add in some extra builds just in case. This was the perfect example of that in action.
It also helps that our account team is on such close terms with the clients, making getting these ‘extra builds’ actually approved that much easier.
LBB> You mentioned the Colonel’s connection to holiday records – tell us more about this! What was the research process like, and how did this insight factor into your execution?
Marina> The fact that Colonel Sanders himself made not just one Christmas record, but three(!!) played a central role in this project. Admittedly with ideas like this, you’re just waiting for someone to poke holes and find some kind of reason why this shouldn’t exist, but knowing how much of an organic tie KFC and the Colonel had to the holidays just gave us that extra layer of confidence to get this across the finish line.
It also helped us with guardrails through the process. We always had the Colonel’s records as reference points whenever in doubt, whether it was the narrative of the video, the tracks, or the design.
LBB> Moving back to the creative, at what point did you know this would even be feasible? Where does one get started with something like this?
Marina> As a creative at Courage, it’s rarely a question of ‘if’ it’s possible. We’ve seen it time and time again, our production team finds a way to bring the craziest ideas you can imagine to life. It really makes the ideation process easier when the restraints of reality are slightly taken away (don’t kill me, Clair).
Surprisingly enough, the person we ended up working with was found on TikTok. It was one of the instances where you’re thankful for the almost too-apt algorithm. After all the searching online for ‘custom vinyls’, ‘playable cardboard’ and more, the video found us on a doom scroll at the end of the day.
LBB> Let’s talk about the selected tracks. What made them the right carols for the job, and were there other contenders that you considered?
Ethan & Marina> I think the first litmus test was, ‘Is it easily recognisable for the season... and is it public domain?’. From there, we had a long list of potential track names – all the classics you know and love. Then it was about landing on the right vibe. We had to agree on whether we wanted to go all-in on old-school classic, lo-fi, hip-hop, traditional, or electronic. We, again, thought back to the Colonel and how the brand fits in culture right now. That led us to a kind of modern smooth jazz – a sound that truly embodied the Colonel and the feel he’d curate during the season.
There was a split second where we almost went with a hip-hop feel, but after some peer review, it didn’t seem like the right route.
LBB> And how did you approach remixing them to integrate various KFC sounds? What was this process like?
Ethan> The initial conception of this aspect really drew back to ownability. ‘KFC made a vinyl’ is a great headline, but ‘KFC made a vinyl composed with their iconic sounds’ – now that’s something to get excited about.
The actual sound creation was something I was more than prepped to do. I’ve been making ‘sounds’ using Logic (DAW) for years, so finally all those hours plunking away found some use.
We started by writing out a list of iconic KFC sounds. Naturally, you think of the 11 herbs and spices, and maybe the crunch of the crispy chicken. Those were both easy to make into musical layers as well. With the vibe currently set as ‘modern jazz, you can chill to/study to’, we thought of using the fryer as kind of a light set of brushes on a cymbal – waterfall-esque.
The fourth sound was a late addition. We initially had the sound of utensils as bells. They fit perfectly in the track and blended right in. But then we realised, what’s the most iconic brand asset at KFC? The fingers. (Sorry utensils)! So that got nixed. After some back and forth, we opted to crunch up the wrapping paper KFC meals come in. We literally had parchment recordings live in the studio.
Layering them in, as always, was an exercise in balance. Integrating them as instruments to enhance each track was the intention and we like to think Grayson helped do that absolutely flawlessly.
LBB> From here, how did you approach physically designing the records? What did it take to make the bucket lid functional?
Marina> After some searching by our lovely producer, Rachel D'Ercole, we landed on the perfect partner. VinylPost (shoutout to Josh) who specialises in making custom postcards that are playable on record players. Honestly, a great idea in itself.
Knowing that this was already in his domain allowed us to focus on crafting all the other elements. We worked closely with him and he sent multiple prototypes, so we had no doubt that at the end of the day, it would not just work, but sound perfect!
This was a big point of focus for us though. We wanted this to be real and actually function. That made it harder, but we think that’s what people are resonating with most.
LBB> Of course, the design of both the lids and sleeves are amazing! How did you bring these elements to life?
Marina> Thank you! That was the start of the fun part of this project (for me at least). It’s not every day, in advertising, that you get the opportunity to design a record/album cover.
It was clear from the get-go that this was going to be a bit of a balancing act. We’d need to strike the right balance of recognisable KFC branding (and a bucket lid), while ensuring it also read as a classic holiday record. Luckily, we had a lot of great design elements to pull from. We found inspiration in the nostalgic typography of the Colonel’s original holiday records, and how he was always dressed as Santa on each of the sleeve designs. And then we worked on modernising the design to feel like an iconic record that KFC would release today.
And, as with all things, we went through a few rounds. There were a few iterations on the table since we were working through the music simultaneously. So, depending on the vibe of the tracks, we knew we wanted the design to match.
LBB> What challenges have you faced during this project? How did you overcome them?
Marina & Ethan> Surprisingly enough, there weren’t any huge challenges that came up. This is truly what happens when everyone is on the same page from the jump. From production to creative to client, everyone had so much heart that bringing this idea to life felt like a breeze.
That said, one small thing that definitely could have been a big hiccup was getting our vinyls through the border. Partnering with VinylPost was perfect for what we wanted to achieve conceptually, but with it being in the US, we had to put the entire outcome of the project in the hands of our trusty customs patrol. Luckily, after some back and forth, the records arrived right on time and in perfect condition.
LBB> What lessons have you learned in the making of this campaign?
Marina> A big lesson learned in this project is the importance of craft and detail. This is the type of idea that is great on paper, but takes a lot of elements to bring to life properly. Every aspect and every step was poured over, creating an idea that not just the ad world would love, but people beyond the industry as well.
LBB> What has the initial response been like?
Ethan> The response has been amazing! From people in the industry to KFC customers, record collectors to the tech-obsessed, to (most importantly) our creative leads, it’s truly become an idea everyone can get behind. The fact that these paper lids turned records work so flawlessly just really set this idea apart.
LBB> Finally, do you have a favourite track of the bunch? And will you be taking home a record for yourself?
Ethan> That’s like asking who your favourite child is… (the first born, obviously). But jokes aside, the third track, ‘Deck the Halls’, just has a calming feel to it, that paired with the KFC fryer SFX just feels like the holidays.
And yes, we will indeed be taking a record home. This is a collector's item that could one day be worth millions or at least a million good memories. Only time will tell!
