KFO: A Drone for Everyone’s Tastes

Drona Aviation started 2018 with a bang and our first taste of success in the new year came through the very endearing and popular Fast Food chain, KFC! You read that right. Drona Aviation’s first collaboration of the year was with one of the most popular international fast-food brands in the world!

Blink Digital, a marketing agency hired by KFC came up with the idea to offer something fly for their loyal customers! Of course, it had to be something to go with their Smoky Grilled Wings! They initially tried something on their own but it did not work out.  Eventually, they found out about us and the next thing we know, Blink Digital was at Drona’s doorstep. They discussed the entire concept they had in mind with us and we got to work.

Initially, we thought we’d ship a Red PlutoX with a black canopy and that would be quite easy to accomplish as well. But KFC themselves then told us that they wanted something that would make the drone as a DIY element as part of the box itself. And after a lot of brainstorming and iterations, we came up with the ultimate set of wings. The KFO. A DIY Drone that can be made out of a box of Chicken Wings!

We had to make sure that KFO had a unique identity so we customised the PlutoX design and gave it a KFC themed build, while retaining all its core strengths. We went for a Red & Black design akin to KFC’s trademark colours while the heart and soul of the drone remained the PrimusX Flight Controller. At the end of the day, KFO was a bona fide KFC Drone with all the versatility of the Pluto platform!

Of course, we also had to design an app for KFO because Pluto Controller is specifically for PlutoX. KFO is an entirely different beast so it deserved its own controller. Enter the ‘KFO Controller’. Again, with a fresh interface based on KFC’s colours in terms of UI as well as some unique features, the app was designed with every KFC lover in mind, creating a special feeling in their mind whenever they fly their KFO around with pride.

Now comes the best part. The release of the drone. We had not even begun to imagine that KFO would go this far. When KFC announced the drone, the response was amazing. Sure, we did know that it would mean a great deal since we are collaborating with a brand like KFC but KFO went viral in the media. It was everywhere. Tech blogs were talking about it, food blogs too. Famous YouTube influencers were in the loop as well, taking to their channels to talk about it and review our latest drone. They loved the entire DIY idea of it and flying was the most fun part for them. Several news outlets covered the Drone as well and in terms of media coverage, KFO has been our most successful project so far. The most humbling aspect of this was that among all the ruckus, there were those that identified KFO and the KFO App as our work. These were people who had already been exposed to Pluto and Drona Aviation before and the fact that their first impression to KFO was to connect it directly to us felt amazing.

Among the most popular coverage KFO received on the media were articles by The Verge, Hindustan Times and Engadget. Influencers like Mumbai Foodie and iGyaan also featured the drone on their prominent social media profiles. KFO also went offshore to foreign YouTubers like Techsmartt.

iGyaan and many other Tech and Food Bloggers made videos on KFO

We are really excited about the manner in which KFO reached out to so many people and left a positive impression. It reminds us that what we’re doing here matters and our products are leaving a lasting impression on people in the country and even outside of it.