His name is Norm McDonald, and in the new TV advertisement of KFC, he plays the 'real Col. Sanders'. Norm is actually a stand-up comedian, writer, producer and actor. He was part of the Saturday Night Live for 5 seasons.
Kevin Hochman of KFC U.S. says Norm is the perfect choice. 'Other than not quite looking like him, his voice being different and his inability to cook the world's best chicken'.
It's really a play of words, a McDonald selling KFC, of course. The crazier the adverts, the more fun it is. The Taco Bell ad last March that featured a real-life Ronald McDonald selling their new breakfast items. The talents talked about their Taco Bell favorites or experiences, while their names - usually a variation of Ronald McDonald appeared on the screen. The series of ads featured everyday, ordinary men who happened to have the same name as the McDonald's mascot with his bright red hair and yellow costume. The ad agency of Taco Bell found 400 or so men and women with almost similar names, and they chose a good representation of different regions as Taco Bell spokespersons. At the end of the ad, it flashes a notice 'These Ronald McDonalds are not affiliated with McDonald's Corporation and were individually selected as paid endorsers of Taco Bell Breakfast."
The ad campaign intended to steal the McDonald's breakfast market, which accounts for 20% of the company's sales in the US. The market share of the golden arches is 31% according to market researcher Technomic. A review of the advertisement was made an hour after its launch, and was called as brilliant. 'It's clever in such a biting yet gentle way that it has millions of people watching the commercial on Youtube'.
The Ronald McDonald of the real McDonald's is a character played by Willard Scott when it was introduced in 1963. He used to pull out hamburgers from his belt.
