KFC focusses on ‘impact’ with smoke billboard stunt
KFC has launched a “smoky” special build campaign to drive “great taste” brand consideration.
The campaign showed a giant 3D KFC bucket over a 2D image of fried chicken with two smoke machines inside which emitted smoke twice a day to replicate steaming hot chicken.
The smoke machines were timed to emit smoke during morning rush hour, between 7.30am and 9.30am, and evening rush hour between 5pm and 7pm.
This OOH campaign ran in two bursts, once in March across two sites in Manchester (pictured, below) and a second time in Brixton at the beginning of May.
The selection of special build locations in London and Manchester was “very deliberate” based on the preference of one being in the capital and the others having “a regional focus”, as well as choosing environments to prompt the right associations.
The chosen billboards were alongside busy arterial routes to broadly target quick service restaurant (QSR) users and also have the capability to have a special build on them with “an emphasis on impact”.
The main aim of the campaign was to increase conversion of KFC awareness to active consideration among category users, increasing KFC’s associations with “great taste”.
WPP’s specialist OOH agency Kinetic and media agency Mindshare handled the media planning and strategy for the campaign.
The billboards were owned by Clear Channel and JCDecaux. Creative was by Mother London.