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By Micah McCartney
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Millions across Japan once again took part in a time-honored Yuletide tradition this year that may surprise many American readers, gorging on chicken legs, biscuits, and fries at the nearest Kentucky Fried Chicken.
Why It Matters
KFC is the third most profitable fast-food franchise in the world, valued at $15.4 billion this year and with more than 30,000 locations globally, including over 1,100 across Japan.
Read More on World
The phenomenon is a success story of savvy cross-cultural marketing and illustrates how one brand or tradition can be unexpectedly reshaped as it moves from one culture to another.
Newsweek reached out to KFC by email with a request for comment.
What To Know
As KFC tells it, this curious Christmas custom dates back to the 1970s, when Takeshi Okawara, Harvard alumnus and manager of the first KFC franchise in Japan, overheard foreigners at his store lamenting the lack of turkey dinners during the holidays.
Sensing a marketing opportunity, Okawara launched a one-day chicken bucket campaign to boost sales.
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"It filled a void. There was no tradition of Christmas in Japan, and so KFC came in and said, ‘this is what you should do on Christmas,’" Joonas Rokka, associate professor of marketing at Emlyon Business School in Lyon, France, told the BBC.
Demand has soared in recent years—so much so that customers now place their orders as early as six weeks in advance. The window for picking up those orders is tightly scheduled, with Christmas Eve reportedly being the busiest day of the year for KFC.
While a holiday bucket costs a relatively steep $37, the company has introduced small discounts for those who preorder online to reduce queuing times.
What People Are Saying
Meshida, a self-described Japanese salaryman-turned stand-up comedian, said during a performance: "Many foreigners often ask me: 'Why does everyone eat KFC in Japan?' Japanese people think all Western people eat KFC at Christmas!"
Megan Elizabeth, a Tokyo-based influencer with 328,000 Facebook followers, said in one video post: "Ours [Christmas bucket] came with a commemorative plate, chicken tenders, classic fried chicken, a handwritten note for some reason, lemon cheesecake, and cheesy rice. This was our spread."
What Happens Next
What started as a one-off promotion now fuels a national craze every December, and shows no sign of fading:
The promotional event is likely to extend its half-century run, considering that the feasts account for roughly one-third of KFCS's annual revenue in Japan.
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