Every brand has brand stories- some real and some crafted. The brand’s strategic and creative teams must identify the ones that can be explored and exploited. KFC Cape-town, South Africa, picked one and ran with the urban legend of a fake quality control inspector. Watch the final communication, and then we get to the story. KFC’s official Twitter account posted- The Taste… it’s all about the Taste, and after 50 years of licking it off your fingers, we’ve realised that some of you will do #AnythingForTheTaste. Don’t believe us? Watch this story based on real events.
First, KFC released a press note declaring they would get to the urban legends’ roots. Setting up a private investigation to find one who has been posing as a fake food inspector, getting free KFC items. The story goes back to 2019- though not fully substantiated. “KFC plans to track down an alleged fake food inspector soliciting free food from KFC stores across South Africa.” It also led people to attempt pranking KFC in real life- completing the cycle. For example, Foktv and JTube became fake health inspectors to try to get free food but also try shutting down a fried chicken restaurant.
Here is news on SouthAfrican.com and many other South Africa-based digital sites like Capetown covering the Press release.
Beckett Mathunzi is hired as the chief investigator. A hotline is set up for the public to share tips and information. This one led to three creative by KFC, the Brief, The chase and the verdict. One could follow the detective developments at KFC South Africa.
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It is noteworthy to see how the brand has picked up an urban legend and taken it to its somewhat logical conclusion. It is simple and highly focussed creative, taking you on a ride with the detective and the fake inspector. And watch how #AnthingForTaste and the #Fingerlicking have been smoothly weaved in. I love such simple, focused communication and storytelling.
Meanwhile, here is another brand doing the same. Focussed storytelling, and where they take one aspect and go the whole way. The client and the creative understand that it is better not to be greedy and overload the communication. Here Samsung exploits the one chink in the competition’s armour- just when the competition makes its annual ritualistic statement of new products.
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