Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC): Case study

Credits & Description:

Client KFC
Product KFC BUCKET, KFC DELIVERY
Entrant OGILVY & MATHER PHILIPPINES Makati City, THE PHILIPPINES
Idea Creation OGILVY & MATHER PHILIPPINES Makati City, THE PHILIPPINES

Donna Dimayuga Ogilvy & Mather Philippines Creative Director
Paulo Villones Ogilvy & Mather Philippines Associate Creative Director
Liana Barcia Ogilvy & Mather Philippines Senior Copywriter
Wacky Torres Ogilvy & Mather Philippines Copywriter
James Mendoza Ogilvy & Mather Philippines Art Director
Caloy Sambrano Ogilvy & Mather Philippines Managing Director
Emma Manalac Ogilvy & Mather Philippines Account Director
Carmela Bangsal Ogilvy & Mather Philippines Account Manager
MJ Ramos Ogilvy & Mather Philippines Project Manager

Short Synopsis:
The Amphibious Delivery was made to show the lengths (and depths) KFC was willing to go to deliver their signature fried chicken where it was thought impossible ? the Artex Compound in Malabon. So KFC went where no fried chicken has gone before... and surprised the residents of Artex with buckets of finger lickin' goodness, treating the neighborhood to an unforgettable day of celebration and camaraderie. This fried chicken feat successfully proved that while KFC may have much, much less stores than the leading competitors ? there's nothing they wouldn't do to get to you.

The Campaign
The Amphibious Delivery was made to show the lengths (and depths) KFC was willing to go to deliver their signature fried chicken where it was thought impossible – the Artex Compound in Malabon. KFC partnered with a local tech company that made the first amphibious vehicle in the Philippines, and went where no fried chicken has gone before. The Amphibious Delivery surprised the residents of Artex with buckets of original recipe chicken, treating the neighborhood to an unforgettable day of celebration and camaraderie.
Execution
After making a special delivery to the submerged and inaccessible Artex Compound, the documentation of the stunt was seeded online. As it picked up steam, we also tapped local advertising news outlets to help the velocity of the campaign. Online, we worked hand in hand with the social media team and community managers to engage netizens and respond to their overwhelmingly positive comments and queries. On the day of the launch, delivery sales skyrocketed. And after a week, the content film was viewed over 2 million times, gained 230 million impressions, and received various international PR pick-ups.
The Amphibious Delivery achieved remarkable business results of a 72% increase in delivery sales during the launch. The special delivery was a success, picked up by international media outlets such as Mashable, Fox News, and leading local news networks. The online video gained 230 million impressions, and helped increase Brand Love by 42%, the highest yet for any KFC Philippines' branded content effort. The campaign also received an overwhelmingly positive response in social media, with 93% positive sentiment.
The Situation
KFC Philippines wanted to reinforce its presence in a very competitive fried-chicken-loving market. Known mostly for its products and crazy chicken innovations, KFC has been losing in the so-called "chicken wars" to its much bigger competitors due to a lack of emotional connection. KFC had to step up their game, and build a more than transactional relationship with its customers. So even if KFC only had one-fourth the number of the leading competitor’s stores, they decided on a simple mission: to go where the competitors couldn’t and wouldn’t.
The Strategy
Making use of social listening, we came across a lot of mentions of Artex Compound in online articles, social media posts and even documentaries on unique places in the Philippines, with the focus on its remarkable situation and inaccessibility. KFC wanted to convince its core target market, social media savvy young adults and professionals, that they were willing to go farther than their competition. They determined that the best way to reach them was through an online content video because Filipinos are avid viewers of online video commercials, proven time and time again by the big fast food brands. The stunt was then picked up by various international media, social media content aggregators, and advertising outlets.