THE MISS MILLIE'S REBRAND. REPOSITIONING AN ICONIC BRISTOL FAST FOOD BRAND
WHAT WE DID
BRAND STRATEGY
BRANDING
ADVERTISING
PACKAGING DESIGN
REBRAND, REDESIGN, REPOSITION
Miss Millie’s story begins in 1965, when its founders opened the UK’s first KFC in Preston. Fast forward to 1988, and the Miss Millie’s brand was born, opening its first store in Bristol. Over the decades, Miss Millie’s became a local icon — whether it was a family lunch by the beach, a pre-cinema snack with friends, or a 2am fix for late-night revellers, the brand was woven into the lives of its customers.
However, despite its cherished legacy, Miss Millie’s had lost its way. After already undergoing two rebrands in recent years, the brand faced an identity crisis, struggling to stay culturally relevant. This time, the rebrand needed to do more than refresh the look — it had to reposition Miss Millie’s as a modern fried chicken brand, bridging the gap between its loyal, long-standing customers and a younger, more savvy audience.
With new investment paving the way for expansion across the UK, Miss Millie’s was ready for change. Alongside a new breading recipe, improved internal processes, and forthcoming upgraded store designs, the brand needed a bold reimagination that would cement its place alongside today’s on-trend fast food heavyweights in the fried chicken market.
THE CHALLENGE: MISS MILLIE'S NEEDS NEEDS TO BE MADE RELEVANT.
Miss Millie’s brand had become disconnected from its audience. It had strayed from its roots and lost the bold, confident identity that once made it stand out. The visual aesthetic felt outdated and disjointed, with a colour palette that evoked frozen desserts rather than the warmth and richness of fried chicken.
Its once-familiar brand assets had faded into obscurity, and, more importantly, it no longer reflected the diverse people it aimed to serve. This lack of representation and relevance created a gap, making it difficult for audiences to feel any genuine connection to the brand.
The challenge was clear: Miss Millie’s needed to evolve into a contemporary fried chicken brand that felt both inclusive and aspirational. The mission was to re-establish the brand’s distinctive identity, bringing its soul back into focus and creating a presence that resonates with modern communities while honouring its heritage.
THE OUTCOME: BRING BACK THE LOVE.
The new brand positioning centres around the essence of "Modern Love" which celebrates Miss Millie's heritage of damn tasty fried chicken with a vibrant injection of modernity. With its historical links to the communities in which it operates, Miss Millie’s had always culturally been a symbol of love, and we wanted to bring this to a new generation of consumers.
Alongside Miss Millie's new brand, we created a new strapline 'Satisfy Your Soul' which not only embodies the satisfaction that only fast food can bring, but on a deeper level, the historical legacy and the cultural engagement that will be part of the repositioning.
Celebrate diversity and authenticity.
Over the last few decades, the face of Miss Millie's has undergone many changes. Today, the original silhouette mascot feels dated and lacklustre and not representative of the audience they need to connect with.
For the rebrand, it felt appropriate to introduce fresh faces to represent a new generation of Miss Millie's customers. With this strategy in mind, Hey! What? commissioned photographer André Pattenden, to produce a lifestyle photoshoot that taps into the youth culture of today. To capture the authentic Miss Millie's customer base, we went against using professional models in favour of real and diverse fried chicken fans who we found through running a competition through their social media channels.
The resulting catalogue of images feel honest and organic — a true celebration of UK youth and fried chicken culture.
Looking to engage new audiences with a strategic-led rebrand? Get in touch.
Once we had decided that our business needed to rebrand, it was a great decision for us to partner with Hey! What?.
From the outset they felt like part of our internal team, not an external resource. They took time to really understand our business, what we stood for and what was important to us.
They guided and supported us throughout the entire process, and we now have an end result that we are really proud of!
Hey! What? really have now become part of our business as we have retained their creative expertise as part of our advertising and marketing resource going forward.
ANDY PURNELL
MIiss MIllie's – SEO
A MISS MILLIE'S LOGO HISTORY
Reigniting the soul of Miss Millie's.
Taking the brand back to its roots, we travelled into the Miss Millie's archives to reflect on the original identity which featured the Mildred mascot (based on Colonel Sander's daughter). Perhaps controversially, we decided that it no longer felt current to have a mascot, so instead concentrated our efforts in crafting a hand-drawn and timeless typographic marque.
Our research showed that the original script logo held a lot of brand equity. By reimagining the classic brand identity, we avoided alienating their existing loyal customer base, whilst paying homage to their heritage.
Each letter was meticulously redrawn to ensure ultimate legibility and consistency, making it better suited for the digital age. The refreshed signature successfully bridges the gap between nostalgia and modernity, reinvigorating the brand and enhancing its appeal across different demographics.
RELATED CASE STUDIES
Bold flavours. Bolder type.
The new refined type system aims to bring flexibility and personality to the brand, much like their audiences' freedom to unapologetically be who they want to be.
With the help of the variable font Sharp Grotesk, the brand is able to dial up and down playful vs. functional messaging. Combining the new graphic system, strapline and photography style, the transformed visual identity feels fitting for modern day fried chicken lovers as well as loyal Miss Millie's day ones.