Oreo X KFC: Key takeaways
- Oreo is marking 30 years in China with a KFC Original Recipe chicken-flavoured biscuit
- KFC has returned the favour with an Oreo-flavoured fried-chicken burger
- The collaboration turns two familiar flavours into social-media provocation
Oreo (奥利奥) has been operating in China for 30 years. Its birthday present to the market is a questionable combination. It’s putting the flavour of KFC’s original recipe chicken in its biscuits. No, I’m not joking. KFC has returned the favour too. They’re putting Oreos into a fried chicken burger…
It’s a limited-edition move. Oreos’ sweet cream filling will be replaced by a savoury version that’s inspired by Colonel Sander’s chicken. Fried-chicken designs are pressed into the biscuits, while KFC’s red and white cover the packaging.
However odd the finished product is, Chinese consumers already know both brands well
As for KFC’s contribution, its Oreo-flavoured Original Recipe chicken burger combines a fried chicken thigh and mashed potato with Oreo pieces inside black cocoa-flavoured buns. An RMB29.90 (US$4.20) set contains two burgers, one piece of Original Recipe chicken and a box of the collaboration biscuits.
The announcement comes with an offline element too. Four KFC restaurants in Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou and Changsha became interactive pop-ups where giant twistable Oreo installations make a photo op of the brand’s twist, lick, dunk ritual.
The Dao view: When flavours become brand assets
Seeing as this is Oreo’s party, let’s put the spotlight back on them. Oreo initially localised for China by reducing its sweetness, adjusting its size and introducing smaller packs. Experimenting with new flavours began in about 2006. Then came the bizarre flavours. Wasabi and spicy-chicken-wing Oreos arrived in 2018, followed by a Coca-Cola-flavoured collaboration in 2024.
The magic ingredient in this kind of collaboration is social-media provocation
The magic ingredient with this kind of collaboration is obviously social media provocation, but there is something else. With KFC – and Coca-Cola – there is the familiarity factor.
However odd the finished product is, Chinese consumers already know both brands well. The jury is out on whether that’s strong grounds for a collaboration. There’s really only one way to find out. We’re off to Family Mart to pick up some chicken Oreos…
