Hong Kong KFC Hong Kong has unveiled a series of billboards throughout the city to promote the release of their newest product, the “FING FING Cajun Chips,” with the goal of capturing the curiosity of bystanders and causing them to shake their heads in wonderment to discover the product.

The marketing campaign makes engaging reference to the product’s name and defining characteristic (where “FING FING” stands for “shake” in Cantonese). Customers are urged to combine the chips and the Cajun seasoning sachet for an improved version of the Finger Lickin’ Good flavor and overall experience.

The billboards use a creative optical illusion that requires viewers to shake their heads in order to see a hidden message hidden within black lines. The simultaneous publication of other announcements about FING FING Cajun Chips in various press and media outlets throughout the city takes place at the same time as this strategy.

Speaking about the advertisement, Ms. Janet Lau, marketing director of KFC Hong Kong, said, “Our mission for this product is to get the whole of Hong Kong in the FING FING spirit and what better way to get the ball rolling than with the ads.” 

“It’s a simple way to connect the ads with the product incorporating the fun spirit of our brand,” Lau added. 

Meanwhile, John Koay, regional executive creative director of Edelman Hong Kong, said, “We want to get as many eyeballs on the new FING FING Cajun Chips launch as we possibly can – and playing with the product identity felt like the perfect way to do this in a playful and engaging way.” 

Hong Kong – Global media agency iProspect Hong Kong has been appointed by KFC, Pizza Hut and PHD, the food brands under Jardine Restaurant Group as their official media partner to spearhead their communication strategies.

The agency’s appointment comes as KFC, Pizza Hut, and PHD continue to stand by their shared objective of strengthening their e-commerce, dine-in, and takeaway businesses. 

The household food brands aim to grow their e-commerce effectively as an answer to the need to transform and evolve with time and current trends. 

iProspect will offer a comprehensive communication strategy that can seamlessly connect top, middle, and lower funnel initiatives to unlock the full potential of media investments and deliver tangible online and offline business results.

With their resources, they are expected to solve the brands’ common challenge of reinforcing connections from upper to lower funnels as a way to optimize media efficiency and ultimately reflect on their return on investment (ROI). 

Wai-Chung Au, managing director of media business at iProspect Hong Kong, said, “We are proud to become the trusted media partner for the three iconic names. We look forward to working with them and achieving their vision effectively.”

Commenting on the appointment, Renee Chan, customer experience and marketing director at Pizza Hut and PHD, also said, “We are excited to work with iProspect Hong Kong. iProspect has demonstrated a strong strategic point of view that helped to realize our vision and business goals, not to mention proactively providing solutions and recommendations that go beyond our scope and helped to innovate and optimize our effectiveness.”

Janet Lau, marketing director at KFC, further shared,  “We are looking forward to working with iProspect Hong Kong to optimize our e-commerce business. In this era of constant change and transformation, we need to tighten up our O2O communication strategy to offer truly seamless experience for consumers constantly. We believe iProspect can offer the solution to us.”

Bangkok, Thailand – Global fast food restaurant chain KFC partnered with Momo and Friends, a producer of quality dog snacks, to produce the world’s first ‘KFC Bone Tie’ snack in Thailand for International Dog Day.

The campaign is KFC Thailand’s move to promote the dogs’ wellbeing by providing a safer, healthier, and tastier alternative snack made of repurposed KFC chicken bones, reshaped into Colonel’s bow tie. 

Chicken bones can be enticing to dogs, but they can puncture the canine’s organs, causing internal damage. Therefore, the fast food restaurant chain is on a mission to reduce the dangers posed by feeding chicken bones to dogs with their new snack alternative that is guaranteed to be ‘paw-lickin good ’. 

Together with the release of the new doggie snacks, KFC Thailand also went a step further and organized a field day by giving free ‘KFC Bone Tie’ snacks to customers that visited select restaurants or participated in their online activities. 

KFC branches located in pet-friendly malls across Thailand can also participate in the movement to recycle fresh chicken bones. This is the restaurant’s attempt to upcycle food waste and ultimately keep producing the ‘KFC Bone Tie’ snack, which is also marketed as an evergreen treat for dogs. 

The ‘KFC Bone Tie’ initiative received positive feedback, catching the attention of many dogfluencers who joined the movement, alongside thousands of adorable photos of dogs and their owners enjoying the snack. 

KFC Thailand thanks all dog lovers who supported the movement and encourages all dog owners to continue to follow a safe and healthy diet for their pets. 

Suhayl Limbada, chief marketing officer at KFC Thailand, said, “As the leading fried chicken brand that makes everyone’s mouth water, we may have tempted many people to give their dogs chicken bones. This International Dog Day, we went to market determined to raise awareness on the harmful effects of giving cooked chicken bones to dogs, and to replace this instead with the world’s first dog snack – made with love from our KFC chicken bones!” 

Also commenting on the campaign, Park Wannasiri, chief creative officer at Wunderman Thompson Thailand, said, “We’ve added the magic touch to KFC’s brand identity by shaping the snack into a bow tie, making it cute and distinctive, exactly as the Colonel likes it. We teamed up with Gluta Story, a content creator with a famous gang of dogs who adorably helped us communicate this campaign with a film that made everyone watch until the end.”

Bangkok, Thailand – KFC Thailand unveiled its newest trilogy of relatable advertisements that tapped into the insights of Thai people on how lunchtimes have become a dull mealtime routine. 

The latest advertising campaign is KFC Thailand’s answer to the daily work rush experienced by hardworking employees who are caught in work chaos and forget their sacred rest periods during lunch. It aims to remind the hardworking Thais that lunchtime is intended to be a pleasurable hour of their day to pause, refuel, and reflect while connecting with their colleagues.

KFC Thailand’s new advertising campaign also comes with the launch of ‘The Colonel’s Lunch’, a special lunch set that offers an affordable variety of menu pairs and aims to put an end to lackluster lunch breaks. 

With the combination of their original and iconic menu items, KFC’s ‘The Colonel Lunch Special’  promises a more fun and delicious menu for lunchtime without spending much.

Sakechai Choomuenwai, the general manager of Yum Restaurants International in Thailand, said, “There is no time anymore to think of food the way we used to. Many of us are too busy, so we tend to grab obvious snacks to keep us going through the day, without even tasting it most of the time! KFC, as usual, is on a mission to rescue lunchtime with a more positive approach – and a delicious one too.” 

Singapore – Popular fast-food chain KFC in Singapore has rolled a new local interactive campaign for its revamped KFC Zinger Double Down menu offering–by blending indulgence and fitness in a ‘whack-a-mole’ game, placed at a Serangoon MRT Station wallscape.

Conceptualised by Havas Media Singapore, this game encourages individuals with S$1 off to shed any guilt and relish the irresistible Cheesy Mushroom Zinger Double Down. Commuters may also upload a video of their gameplay to Instagram and tag @kfc_sg to redeem free fries.

Meanwhile, the execution features creatives by R/GA to entice commuters with the campaign tagline “Go On. Give In.” to drive them to the closest KFC outlet.

Juliana Lim, senior director for marketing and food innovation at KFC Singapore, said, “KFC’s Double Down is usually seen as a sinful treat. With this campaign, we hope to show fried chicken lovers how they can go ahead to indulge, and how KFC can be a part of their everyday lives – without the need to feel guilty for eating their favourite food.”

Meanwhile, Kelvin Goh, media director at Havas Media Group Singapore, commented, “The gamified wallscape speaks to the concept of guilt-free indulgence. Our collaboration with KFC to execute this innovative concept not only showcases the delectable appeal of their new launch but also offers fans an experiential incentive to treat themselves.”

Malaysia – Tasked with redefining KFC Malaysia’s brand proposition in conjunction with its 50th Anniversary in 2023, global brand and customer experience agency VMLY&R created ‘Kentucky Town’, an immersive experience for customers and fans of the restaurant chain. 

Located at the Sunway Pyramid blue concourse in Kuala Lumpur, Kentucky Town was open to the public from July 4 to July 10, 2023. In partnership with KFC, VMLY&R planned and executed on-ground activations and communications around the event.

The program also coincided with International Fried Chicken Day on July 6 and was planned in the run-up to International Friendship Day on July 30. The creation of ‘Kentucky Town’ will also be leading to a series of additional events expected through the rest of the year.

Kentucky Town featured a secret menu, which included items such as ‘ Savours Cracklin  Gold Crunch’, ‘Korean Cheesy paper wrap’, ‘Samyang Buldak Double Down’, and more. The brand also collaborated with Malaysia’s cartoonist legend Ujang, and Pestle and Mortar, a popular, hype Malaysia streetwear brand to produce a curated streetwear collection called ‘Aku Budak Kepci’.

Using VMLY&R’s proprietary Intel Lab to gather data on KFC Malaysia’s next generation of consumers, the agency focused on Gen Z’s values of seeking genuine connections and trendy experiences that allow them to feel part of the group.  Based on this, the program featured activities such as an AR friendship tunnel, a virtual friendship mirror, a friendship tub photo space, and Kentucky Town Cooks motion capture game. Friendship-themed games were also hosted for the duration of the event, and International Fried Chicken Day saw chicken giveaways.

Commenting on the event, Premnath Unnikrishnan, chief marketing officer of KFC Malaysia, said, “Unforgettable experiences are at the heart of Kentucky Town, with every aspect thoughtfully curated to leave a lasting impression on visitors. KFC aims to create an enduring memory that will entice them to return, time and again, for the exceptional dining experience the brand is known for.”

Meanwhile, Sean Lim, head of brand experiential and activation, VMLY&R Malaysia, commented, “We know that the youth need to experience and feel – to form a bond with the brand therefore we made their town, Kentucky Town a completely multi-sensorial activation, bringing many activities together for an ultimate experience. Super fresh, exciting work, and a fantastic collaboration with our client in bringing to life an end-to-end Brand and Customer Experience with youth at its heart!”

Bangkok, Thailand – To celebrate Mother’s Day in Thailand on August 12, KFC wanted moms across the country to have the much-needed break they deserve in its ‘Let Mom Rest’ Campaign via Wunderman Thompson Thailand, which recognizes  that a mother’s duty should not be hers to carry alone.

In the campaign, KFC Thailand and Wunderman Thompson invited partners and family members to take over household chores as well as caring for the family, and to appreciate everything that their moms do.

The campaign also kicked off a quirky collaboration with recognized Thai brands with the word ‘Mother’ in it to replace their names, resulting in brands being packaged as ‘Father’s Kitchen Oyster Sauce’, ‘Father’s Rice’ and ‘Father’s Boiled Bamboo’. 

These limited edition mother turned father brand products were bundled into a free, limited-edition KFC ‘Let Mom Rest’ customer gift set, offered at KFC Samyan Mitrtown on August 12 with every KFC All in One Bucket order.

Park Wannasiri, chief creative officer of Wunderman Thompson Thailand, said, “No one denies being a mother is one of the toughest, most overwhelming, and most exhausting jobs! People in Thailand really appreciate the long-term commitment of being a mother – and brands do too! Motherhood is even highlighted in many food, household, and children’s products here, for example, canned fish, oyster sauce, or diapers.”

Meanwhile, Sakechai Choomuenwai, general manager of YUM Restaurants International, also commented, “On a special occasion like this, KFC takes extra pride in paying attention to all mothers, as we intend to create a new, ongoing trend that sees house chores and childcare transcend beyond a mother’s duty.”

“We want our Thai families to recognize that a mother’s duty should not be hers alone to bear; and one day in the year should never be enough to show our appreciation. This must become common practice amongst households. Fathers, life partners and extended family members should be mindful of the roles we all play – so that everyone helps each other beneath the strain of life,” he added. 

Bangkok, Thailand – KFC Thailand transforms its iconic bucket into the new ‘KFC Basket the Bucket’ this Christmas to join Thai people in their obsession with gifting baskets. This is in collaboration with their newly appointed creative agency, Wunderman Thompson Thailand. The KFC ‘Basket the Bucket’ is made of locally sourced materials and handcrafted by local artisans, with the iconic chicken bucket packaging a perfect fit inside it. 

According to KFC Thailand, gifting during the festive season in Thailand is always an epic battleground of festive hampers or gifting baskets. The basket has been a symbol of well-wishing and gifting for Thai people. 

The 30-second commercial that came with the campaign shows Thai people receiving usual gifts given this Christmas as they sarcastically let out dry laughs before showing a man munching on KFC chicken and ends with lines, “when the bucket comes, its party on!”

Chief Marketing Officer Suhayl Limbada at KFC Thailand said, “Taking a global icon like the KFC bucket and infusing it with the locally famous gift basket depicts the richness and beauty of our country’s culture and is a very special project. As people return back to celebrating special moments with their loved ones, to be able to incorporate our iconic KFC Bucket as a gift in such a unique way is a perfect ode to our excitement at the prospect of a festive season that is full of cheer and Finger Lickin’ Good moments.” 

Park Wannasiri, chief creative officer of Wunderman Thompson Thailand adds, “KFC is a leader that always wants to stay connected and culturally relevant. We are always looking for the opportunity to infuse our brand into the culture in the most distinctive way, not just driving sales but also building the brand. Although KFC is not always associated with end of year gifting, ‘Basket the Bucket’ changes everything. By turning our iconic bucket into a gift basket, a symbol of the Thai gifting season, we directly put ourselves into the centre of attention this festive season.”

KFC also mentioned gifting their friends clown, king, and dragon, with their unique bucket basket this Christmas, to show their generosity for the holiday season.

Hong Kong – Global fast food brand KFC has launched a new campaign, encouraging overthinking to think less and indulge more with their signature fried chicken–using a brand-new tech device called the ‘KFC Brainwave Bucket’.

Conceptualised alongside Edelman Hong Kong, the device is a brain-sensing helmet with a built-in headband that analyses people’s brain activity. The data from the helmet is connected to an app which provides real-time biofeedback showing how active the mind is.

The helmet design, and the mind-detecting enclosure, are based on KFC’s iconic bucket. People are invited to sit inside the bucket-inspired structure and wear the helmet on their head, after which they’re encouraged to switch off and think less with the help of some Finger Lickin’ Good chicken.

The campaign is based on recent studies that indicate Hong Kong is one of the most stressful cities in the world and ranks first in the stress index of employees all around East Asia, with a massive 53% of employees feeling pressured and stressed from their day-to-day occupation. However, scientific findings have shown that comfort food relieves the stress response in the brain.

John Koay, regional executive creative director at Edelman, said, “Born from a great truth, we recognise the brand’s ability to provide people in this pressure cooker of a city with a moment of escape – and the Brainwave Bucket is a fun way to prove it. Partnering with KFC always brings so much excitement and innovative opportunity and this campaign is a great demonstration of that.”

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Dentsu Malaysia has won the digital transformation mandate for Malaysia’s retail food company QSR Brands, becoming the key partner on the company’s transformational journey for KFC and Pizza Hut. 

As part of the mandate, Dentsu Malaysia will be the partner of KFC and Pizza Hut in becoming a true data-first organisation, and future proof business verticals across marketing, operations, and supply chain. The brands have been in the phase of transformation and will go through a data-driven acceleration to improve business efficiencies.

Dheeraj Raina, CEO of Dentsu Media in Malaysia, shared that QSR has set a bold vision for their KFC and Pizza Hut businesses, and the agency shares this vision with them and believes that these brands have a big potential of becoming data companies. 

“For the next 18 months, we will be working with the marketing, data and business teams of KFC and Pizza hut in unlocking the real consumer value with the use of media tech, data and marketing technology. We are bringing the best minds across our service lines together to co-create this powerful and rewarding future with QSR,” said Raina.

Meanwhile, Nehchal Khanna, CEO of QSR Brands (KFC & Pizza Hut) for Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia, and Brunei, noted that over the last two years, significant digital investments have been made to provide better digital customer experience and restaurant operations efficiencies and to pivot their business to digital sales because of the changing consumer landscape. 

“We are now ready to realise our bold vision of becoming the number one food technology business in ASEAN, and as part of that aspiration, we are embarking upon this journey with our partners at Dentsu who have gone through a rigorous process of evaluation and selection for this role,” said Khanna.