Adbiz chickens come home to roost


Who doesn’t love fried chicken the Colonel’s way? FCB loves it best of all, now it landed KFC’s $200-million plus account — and just when Michigan Avenue badly needed a new account boost. Incumbent agency was BBDO, New York.

A new campaign for the Louisville-based chain will break in the fourth quarter. KFC has sales of $4.8 billion.

Then, Cramer-Krasselt put a feather in its cap by winning the $20 million Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits business in a shootout with Interpublic’s Averett, Free & Ginsberg, New York, and Austin Kelley, Atlanta.

Popeyes, with sales more than $1 billion, is a division of Atlanta-based AFC Enterprises.

Independent C/K is developing new TV and radio spots for broadcast the first quarter of 2004. A new Popeyes campaign will be unveiled early next year.

The local Popeyes franchisee account was recently given to DiMeo & Co. and it, too, has a new campaign that should air momentarily.

The three agencies have their work cut out for them. The public has lost some of its taste for fried chicken and sales have been flat for both chains.

Extra: When KFC first translated its slogan “finger lickin’ good” into Chinese, it came out as “eat your fingers off.”