There isn’t much in common between KFC and Huawei – greasy fried chicken might, in fact, be the bane of a glossy phone – but it seems there is just enough to warrant the launch of a limited-edition smartphone in KFC’s iconic bright red color.
KFC entered China with its first store in Tiananmen Square in Beijing back in 1987. The same year, Huawei was founded in Shenzhen. The two companies are now celebrating their 30 years in China by releasing a limited-edition ‘Huawei 7 Plus’ with both KFC’s Colonel Sanders and the Huawei logo imprinted on the back.
In an interview with Campaign Asia-Pacific, KFC’s Senior Vice President for Marketing with Yum China, Steven Li, spoke about the partnership:
"Between KFC and Huawei, one came from abroad had (sic) and settled its roots in China. The other (Huawei) originated here and later expanded its footprint globally. Both brands have witnessed the rise of China in these 30 years, and both embody the spirit of the times. Our collaboration is a homage to the era."
Huawei is only manufacturing 5,000 units of this limited-edition device; meanwhile, KFC is adding a feature in the Chinese version of its app that it has dubbed as ‘K-music." It’s a service that will let users play the music of their choice from a curated selection at any of KFC’s 4,000 stores across the country. K-Music will be exclusively available to Huawei users, until the end of July when all mobile users will gain access.
The device itself is labeled as Huawei’s ‘SLA-AL00’ model and is powered by a Snapdragon 425, along with 3GB of RAM, and 32GB of onboard storage that can be expanded with up to a 128GB microSD card. There’s a 5-inch display, but with a rather disappointing 1280x720 resolution. However, with a 3,020mAh battery, there should be ample battery life for a wholesome jukebox session at the local KFC.
China’s Tmall is hosting a flagship store for the phone, where it is available for ¥1,099 ($161).
Source: Tmall, Campaign Asia-Pacific | Image via Tmall