Why does KFC only follow 11 accounts on X, and 5 of them are the Spice Girls?

Kentucky Fried Chicken is a long-established brand. In September 1952, KFC opened its first franchise in Salt Lake City (Utah).

More than 70 years later, KFC has more than 20,000 restaurants in more than 125 countries around the world.

Obviously, the popular restaurant's social media accounts have many followers. Its X (Twitter) account is followed by more than 1.6 million tweeters.

Interestingly, KFC is not one to follow many other accounts. In fact, KFC's Twitter (X) only follows 11 people. Five of them are members of the Spice Girls!

The other six? No celebrities at all, but six random guys with one thing in common: they are all called Herb.

Photo: kfc / X

None of the Herbs are related to each other. They range from a journalist to a singer and a politician in Los Angeles. Thanks to KFC, each of them got a verified Twitter (X) account.

Photo: kfc / X

Obviously, behind this strategy, there must be a hidden message.  Many fans of KFC's chicken have already figured it out.

Photo: kfc / X

It all dates back to 1939 when Harland D. Sanders started making crispy chicken at a restaurant in North Corbin, Kentucky.

The recipe Harland D. Sanders used for his crispy chicken consisted of 11 ingredients.

These ingredients consisted of six "Herbs" and five "Spices." They made up a secret recipe for breading chicken that, more than 80 years later, continues to delight fast food lovers across the world.

Photo: kfc / X

And here is the explanation of the accounts followed by KFC. The five 'Spice Girls' symbolize the five spices and the six Herbs are the six herbs in the recipe. Absolutely wonderful.

KFC's sense of humor and capacity for innovation is to be applauded. But it does not end there.

It was one fan in particular who noticed this curious KFC tweeting strategy. He tweeted under the handle Edgette22.

Photo: edgette22 / X

In October 2017, he unraveled the great enigma and shared it with the world.

KFC's response was a glorious instance of Twitter (X) history.

KFC sent the tweeter a painting of himself, riding on the back of Colonel Sanders while holding a piece of KFC chicken. It was a weird award for an even weirder discovery.

Photo: edgette22 / X