Malaysian Media Awards Winners Showcase





2016 | |

How we got a Western fastfood brand to sell an authentic traditional dish

Advertiser: QSR Stores Sdn Bhd
Brand: KFC
Creative Agency: -
Credits: -

The Challenge
With competitors like McDonalds launching traditional flavours like CoconutGulaMelakaMcFlurry, KFC’s traditional Malay consumer base was eroding (top-of-mind & visits). To counter this, KFC launched the traditional Malay dish of AyamMasakMerah as a Rice Wrap. Our challenge was to convince Malays on authenticism of taste. Who would believe that KFC could create an authentic AyamMasakMerah?

Insight, Strategy and the Idea
In blind taste tests, our AyamMasakMerah was on par with those bought from warungs(stalls) but once revealed, respondents had trouble reconciling the brand KFC with the traditional dish of AyamMasakMerah. Because, Malays know that the best local food isn’t found in fancy restaurants. However they were willing to try new places if they saw a favorable review by an influential foodie. Hence we decided to tap into influential foodies across the country to talk about how authentic tasting our AyamMasakMerah was, all wrapped in a modern format.

Media Execution
We decided to work with Naz from Jalan Jalan Cari Makan because his show draws in 650k in average. Considered to be the ultimate food guide for Malays, a nod from Naz can turn even the remotest warung into a popular dining destination. Having a Jalan Jalan Cari Makan sticker of approval, is the mark of delicious food for any restaurant. In the AyamMasakMerah episode, we got Naz to find the best AyamMasakMerah warungs and compare them to KFC’s version. His mission took him to various gerais, warungs. After traveling the breadth of the country, Naz concluded that KFC’s wrap provided a culinary experience that was just as good! He then gave his sticker of approval to KFC.

Results and Effectiveness
Significant improvement against Malays with a massive 40% increase / 10 points jump in top-of-mind, our highest in 3 quarters, contributed by young working Malays. Volumetric visitation increased by 3%, migrating from once per month to twice a month!