KFC has a long history of coming up with crazy ideas to promote itself. Some of the most notable examples include KFC-scented candles, KFC-scented sunscreen, and the Chizza, a pizza with a crust made of fried chicken.
But KFC's latest marketing scheme just might be its boldest move yet. The fried chicken company recently announced that it will give one lucky (?) newborn $11,000 toward future college tuition if the baby's parents name him or her after the KFC founder, Colonel Sanders.
First off, no, you don't actually have to name your child "Colonel" or "Sanders." The company is looking for a baby "Harland," after the Colonel's first name. "Even though vintage names are making a comeback, our iconic founder’s name was dwindling in popularity, and we couldn’t just stand idly by and let that happen," KFC said in a press release announcing the contest. "We hope that this birthday celebration honors the Colonel and encourages the next generation of people aspiring to live the American dream."
There's also one more major caveat to all this. Scroll down to see the contest details and reactions from the public below!
Because this is 2018, the announcement was made on Twitter.
It's tempting, isn't it? And Harland really isn't all that strange or terrible a name, if you think about it.
KFC's video breaks down the details of the contest and specifies the one major stipulation: The baby named Harland has to be born on September 9 (the same day the Colonel himself was born) in 2018 to qualify for the prize.
People who missed the window are understandably quite upset.
This guy missed the window by over five decades, but can you blame him for trying to get something out of the deal?
Others said they don't need to be tempted with cash prizes to honor KFC or the Colonel. We vote that these guys get all the mac and cheese they want!
Some of these are actually pretty close. If only this lady had put off having children for a few years!
SO CLOSE!
But Harland, as it turns out, isn't the only way a name can honor a fast-food chain…
Some people have been dealing with this all their lives.
I wonder if her parents did this on purpose? On the bright side, she doesn't need to get anything customized — she can just wear KFC-branded gear, and she's all set!
Please, sir, don't do this. We know $11,000 is a lot of money, but getting a forehead tattoo is just not worth it.
This guy might think that he's got the most "on the nose" Harland tribute, but after digging through the Twitter responses, we found one man who's got him beat.
Everyone, meet Colonel Sanders.
As in, a guy actually named Colonel Sanders, who claims that he's from Kentucky and actually related to the OG Colonel Sanders himself.
To be fair, we can't actually confirm whether or not this guy's just making it up.
But if this is real, he should get at least a free bucket of chicken or something.
And then there's this lady, who dug up a cool vintage photo:
We have so many questions for her.
Did the Colonel actually smell like fried chicken? Were you confused and thinking you were sitting on Santa's lap?
And do you even remember posing for this photo?
While there's some grumbling in the comments about KFC's publicity stunt, most people think it's a sweet way to honor an iconic man — and make a little money for your baby's education on the side!
