Colonel Sanders ............. and #theHCG at Adelaide !

Do you know or can you  identify - Colonel Harland David Sanders – who earlier  held a number of jobs in his early life, such as a fireman, insurance salesman and running filling stations.  The clue is the modern millionaire’s face, you would have seen for sure !

At the Adelaide Oval on Wednesday, Aaron Finch was doing what most of the Australians were doing all night, chasing leather to the boundary during the seven-wicket loss to a South African team parading only about seven recognisable names.  I had posted of his travail  - when giant flames were lit dangerously closer from the flamethrower.    In the photo and in the video, hoardings with wording ‘#theHCG’ are distinctly visible

Web search on that may lead to -  HCG Diet, an extreme diet that involves injections of HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin). HCG is the hormone women make when they are pregnant. Previously, the HCG Diet was defined by a 500-calorie diet paired with daily injections of HCG.  This diet is associated with dramatic weight loss, up to a pound a day. But the problem, up until now, was that no doctor could explain how it worked, and critics claimed the caloric restrictions are responsible for the weight loss and not the HCG hormone.  The HCG Diet has also had some odd rules. For example, it required the consumption of only one vegetable per meal, prohibited the use of oil, body lotions and hygiene products, and limited use of the HCG hormone to odd cycles of 23 and 46 days. The Diet also did not allow exercise.  This post is not about that !!

The Twenty 20 Big Bash is the domestic competition in Australia - sponsored by KFC.  KFC (the name was originally an initialism for Kentucky Fried Chicken) is a fast food restaurant chain that specializes in fried chicken and is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, in the United States.  KFC Australia launched its 2014/2015 cricket campaign via Ogilvy Sydney, with a TVC celebrating the 'Home Cricket Ground', or 'HCG' - the place where Aussie fans love to watch cricket.  

The promo tells that with the majority of Australians following the cricket in their own living room, KFC wants to toast the HCG in recognition of its importance to cricket fans around Australia.  The new campaign focuses on the traditions of coming together with friends and family to watch the cricket at home. With every cricket-mad household having its own rituals for watching games, KFC wants to deliver some fun along with that delicious taste to HCGs around Australia this summer.

The campaign claims that fans, players and anyone in the cricket community will be encouraged to showcase their own HGC using #theHCG across social media. KFC will support this through a fully integrated campaign across multiple channels and touch points, including an upcoming partnership with Channel 9 that will allow one lucky fan to win "Your HCG at the SCG" - a private box decked out like a lounge room, to watch the cricket in ultimate comfort with friends and family. However it's not just at home where KFC will be focusing its sponsorship. Fans at stadiums around the country will also get the chance to upgrade their own HCG experience. The new 'Catch a Six' promotion during the Big Bash League will give lucky fans the chance to win a home theatre system if they catch a six wearing a limited edition KFC Big Bash League team bucket on their heads. Mike McKenna, Cricket Australia’s Executive General Manager of Operations said, “We’re very grateful for KFC’s continued support of Australian cricket. The relationship between CA and our commercial partners provides the financial foundations that underpin the success of the game, from the grassroots to the elite levels of competition.  

KFC  has changed  their red and white logo colours in favour of green and gold for the 2013/2014 cricket season as part of their sponsorship with Cricket Australia. The green and gold rebranding  was to be seen across the decor of five flagship restaurants with a  further 600 stores to also take part by rebranding 25,000 uniforms and over 300,000 buckets using the Australian team colours.

Colonel Harland David Sanders [1890 – 1980] was an American businessman, best known for founding Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), and later acting as the company's goodwill ambassador and symbol. In his earlier days, he held a number of jobs in his early life, such as a fireman, insurance salesman and running filling stations.  The first KFC franchise opened in Utah in 1952; the Company's rapid expansion across the United States and overseas saw it overwhelm him.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

7^th Nov. 2014.