Changing the face--literally--of a popular brand is a tricky business that should not be taken lightly. Just ask the folks at San Francisco-based brand imaging agency Tesser, the company charged with
giving Kentucky Fried Chicken's Colonel Sanders a facelift. In an attempt to revamp the company's image, Tesser's staff sketched and designed no fewer than 250 new variations of the colonel. "Some
were very abstract," said Tre Musco, the agency's chief creative officer and CEO. "Some were modern. Some were kind of retro. We wanted to keep the brand's heritage, but we wanted to update it for a
modern audience." Company research showed that consumers viewed the colonel as more of a salesman concerned with money than cooking chicken. So in the new version, he is wearing a red apron that is
supposed to signify an interest in food rather than sales. Designers also added flesh tones to make for a kinder, gentler colonel. "We wanted to give him a more organic feel," Musco says. "With soft
flowing curves, he looks friendlier." The new logo is only in test markets at this stage, but so far has met with positive feedback. Musco says consumers have told him the colonel is looking pretty
good for his age. "They say things like, 'He looks healthier.' That's a big deal for a fried chicken chain."
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