Why are the brothers from Walter E. Smithe Furniture doing commercials for KFC in Chicago?

Question

The Smithe brothers, well known to television viewers in Chicago for their television ads are now appearing in ads for KFC. You know, Kentucky Fried Chicken. To add another twist, they are cast as the "drum boys" (commonly seen by Bears fans walking through the tunnel to Soldier Field from Grant Park) who are usually younger, enterprising inner-city African American kids playing 5 gallon plastic pickle buckets with a hat out for tips. But the Smithe brothers are playing KFC chicken buckets rather than pickle buckets.

Answer 1

When something works in the world of advertising, why dump it? Ebel Signorelli Welke/Chicago's catchy spots for KFC Chicago area franchisees have featured the now famous Bucket Boys seen frequently playing their pickle barrel drums on Michigan Avenue. The work has resonated with viewers, as has the chant the boys repeated to promote KFC's value deal: 10 pieces of chicken for $6.99. The chant became "10-4-6-99."



EWS understandably didn't want to dispense with the Bucket Boys or the chant just to come up with something new. So the shop introduced a trio of new boys at the end of the latest spot, which also includes a number of fresh-faced actors from the Open Door Repertory Co. in Oak Park.



The large cast is all there as a lead-in to the surprise ending: a cameo appearance by three of Chicago's most recognizable furniture purveyors, the Smithe brothers from Walter E. Smithe Furniture.



Having done a few commercials of their own, the furniture boys seem right at home seated behind their pickle barrels and playing to the camera.

Answer 2

Smithe Brothers

Answer 3

they are trying to sell the KFC chicken bucket deal to those in the Chicagoland area