DC Studios Teams with KFC to Promote ‘Supergirl’ for Chain’s First Blockbuster Tie-in Campaign in Decades
Fast-food tie-ins used to mean more, but they remain fairly common across the board. Not at KFC, however, the company that owns the Colonel’s secret recipe lock, stock, and barrel hasn’t engaged in co-promotional campaigns with the major studios for quite a few decades. Hard as it is to believe, the last time Sanders’s old business shilled for a piece of celluloid was in 1999, when Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace was the nadir of Lucasfilm’s theatrical output.
Banking on Star Wars collectibles didn’t pay off the way they hoped back then, so KFC phased out kids’ meals and the little “Happy Meal Toys” for good until this year. Why? It seems the siren song of viral trends was too tantalizing for them. In this case, the shiny object is themed popcorn buckets, and they want a piece of that market share with all the alacrity of a dancing TikTok influencer chumming the waters for views and monetization.
However, the chain restaurant’s marketing team may have miscalculated, as their big idea is to partner with DC Studios to promote the next chapter in James Gunn’s DCU — Supergirl. The interest, pre-sales, and tracking numbers aren’t there, but both parties are undeterred. They launched a promotional blitz that’s crispier than a fresh batch of Original Recipe drumsticks, and it has all the restraint and subtlety of a caped Kryptonian’s crash-landing.
The joint summer blockbuster campaign reads like a Comic-Con fever dream: themed combo meals, wild new sauces, a specialty drink, and collectibles they expect fans will hoard like 90s variant covers. The merch includes five blind-bagged keychains featuring Supergirl, Lobo, Ruthye, and Krypto. Oh, and everyone’s favorite space pup is also bringing a custom, reusable Krypto-themed bucket topped with a 3D lid for $29.99. It’s available until supplies vanish faster than a boom tube.
To sate your hunger, you have two paths: the Supergirl Ultimate Meal or the Classic Combo. Both offer tenders or nuggets with one of the three new dipping sauces, a biscuit, and a side to unleash upon the flavor arsenal. The three sauces — Solar Honey Mustard, Sweet Chili Revenge, and Lobo’s Wild Ranch — are inspired by Kara herself, the vengeful Ruthye, and The Main Man.
To wash it all down, KFC will fill your cup with their brand-new, never-before-seen beverage, the Kryptonian Kooler. The bright blue soft drink is a Starry blend of blue raspberry and strawberry boba that contends for this summer’s honorary title of “Cosmic Thirst Quencher.” Even the most jaded Kryptonian wouldn’t turn down the fizzy boost, although Kara might require a few shots in it.
Will these combo meals and ancillary products be the fuel to make things “Look Up” for the DCU? Probably not, because if projections hold, DC Studios, Gunn, and Warner Bros. better “Look OUT” when Supergirl bursts into theaters like they are The Fortress of Solitude on June 26.
