Japan’s Outlandish KFC Christmas Custom
In Japan, KFC and Christmas seem to go together as goodbye festivities where approximately 3.5 million families say ‘merry Christmas’ and treat themselves with a KFC order every year. Now this might seem a little absurd to a vast number of individuals who live outside Japan, however, this practice has evidently engraved itself into the archaeological history of how a Japanese person celebrates Christmas. Why though and how did chickens from Western chains take the place of a beef roast or a turkey during the holiday season in Japan? It is an interesting tale of cross-cultural marketing, and adaptation and Western and Japanese culture mixing together during the holiday period.
KFC’s Kickoff in Japan
Japan’s first Christmas related fast food item was introduced in 1974 and this marked the beginning of Japan’s trend of ordering fried chicken for Christmas. Fried chicken was not a common tradition in Japan then and therefore it was quite a challenge to obtain customary western holiday food. The concept of Christmas itself was not strong in this nation’s cultural practices either. However, as a new wave of Japanese emigrants began celebrating Christmas, the need for turkeys, which was in extremely high demand at that point, began to grow inside Japan.
The manager of Japan’s first western-style fast-food restaurant, Takeshi Okawara, saw an opportunity and acted on it. He also made the Christmas party barrel more user friendly alongside focusing on selling turkey as the main dish. This food item was marketed as the best suit for families who wanted to enjoy a sumptuous Christmas meal. At that time, the restaurant franchise was trying hard to leave a mark during the Christmas period, which wasn’t deeply embedded into the culture of the Japanese people.
To fix this, Okawara and his team came up with the “Kentucky for Christmas” idea which was aimed at putting fried chicken at the center of Christmas celebrations. Their bold marketing approach managed to alter the status quo and Christmas ceased to be a Western holiday roast as many families now converge over a barrel of Christmas chicken, and this gradually became a trend which is well celebrated.
The Marketing Campaign’s Success
As KFC battled to find its footing in Japan, the marketing campaign, ‘Kentucky for Christmas’ was successful in getting its message out- that Christmas is about having a bucket of crispy fried chicken. Little by little, KFC managed to alter the narrative of how people perceived Christmas in Japan, it evolved from an event to celebrate with family on a religious level, or family meetups, to a holiday filled with joyous occasions and not to forget their love for Western cuisine. The cultural norm now became to go to KFC, eat fire chicken and yes, don’t forget the cake!
The timing of this campaign also contributed to its success. Christmas in Japan was, in this society, in any case neither an important date in the calendar nor a religious celebration rather a secular marginal festival. Non-sentimental attachment to the customary seasonal church going allowed Japanese people to break away from traditional ways of celebrating Christmas. All those who wish to have a different kind of delicacy and not to undergo the bother of preparing the regular Christmas lunch, KFC holiday meals have come up as an innovative and enjoyable option.
Season Specials Holiday Meal
With time many additional holiday season meal options have been introduced by KFC. Many families now place their orders months ahead of Christmas Eve to avoid long lines. KFC’s Christmas menu traditionally included a fried chicken bucket, but now features a variety of items such as salad, potatoes, cake, and shrimp curry. These unique packages are created to include all the essentials required for a happily celebrated meal, which is frequently served as a family feast.
This holiday tradition is so appreciated by people in Japan and families even start to form long queues in front of KFC outlets on Christmas. A family effectively orders ahead of time the Christmas meal only to pick up with some rushing to order delivery to KFC as they have formed the practice to eat their meals from KFC on Christmas.
Easter and Christmas
A prominent feature of this holiday celebrations has been the use of kfc and sanders as the logo. However, most KFC outlets in Japan have Christmas decorations throughout the winter season and Colonel Sanders is commonly depicted as Santa Claus. Hence, the product gets a different emotive appeal associated with Christmas and Colonel Sanders.
Over the years, integrating KFC’s Thanksgiving promotion with the holiday season has helped strengthen them as a Christmas tradition within Japan along with the interesting imagery it works in fusion of Christmas with KFC. Because of its unique combination of local traditions and Western imagery, KFC has become a cherished part of Japanese Christmas celebrations.
Conclusion
KFC’s Christmas video promotion back in the 1970s popularized the custom of having KFC for Christmas in Japan, among other people. From a quick practical response to the needs of expatriates in Japan KFC has turned into one of the best-selling and most established festive practices across the nation. The restaurant has become the go-to restaurant for many families across the world due to its offering of fried chicken and different sides during Christmas.
Japan should be noted for its unofficial custom of having kfc for lunch on Christmas which one can say has become a tradition. One cannot completely blame the Japan leading nationality for their love for kfc during Christmas as it brings whole new meaning and taste to Christmas dinners.
If you are interested for more: “KFC’s Christmas Tradition: How Fried Chicken Became a Holiday Favorite in Japan” – “Pat Gelsinger at Intel: Driving Strategic Change Amid Ind
