Malaysian Media Awards Winners Showcase





2019 | |

The Other Sanders

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

The Challenges
It was the best of times, also the worst of times. 2018 was tough for KFC. Visits to KFC grew by a mere 4%, while the category grew at 30%. We were losing relevance, with an audience fed on variety and value. Hence, we needed a branding initiative beyond products and promotions, a spark that would resonate with Malaysians.

Insight, Strategy and the Idea
#1 WOMEN DON’T CHOOSE KFC ANYMORE We deep dived into our sales data to understand where we were losing out and learned that females’ spending with KFC was on a decline, quarter on quarter (Nielsen).
#2 BRANDS (INCLUDING US) WERE STAYING AWAY FROM GLOBAL CONVERSATIONS Conversations on InternationalWomen’sDay recorded a year on year 20% growth on social, but ironically, local brands were reluctant to jump on. The conservatism of a Muslim majority played a dominant role in brands staying away.
The Aha Moment: It wasn’t about feminist fireworks, just a wifely story. Instead of confrontation or ‘lip service’, we opted for a story rooted in our brand and relevant to the cause. Coupled with a ‘dutiful wife’ tonality that would resonate well with the conservative Muslim majority. Introducing the Other Sanders: On InternationalWomen’sDay, KFC’s iconic ColonelSanders logo was replaced with someone the world knew little about; his supportive and inspirational wife, ClaudiaSanders.

Media Execution
Our distribution approach was: social as our primary channel to trigger conversations aplenty. Through a clever swap of profile photos on Facebook and Instagram, we replaced images of ColonelSanders with ClaudiaSanders. Using social listening, we identified InternationalWomen’sDay conversations and against it seeded an introductory video of ClaudiaSanders. Media added fuel to the fire that ClaudiaSanders organically initiated.

Results and Effectiveness
We were back to being the favourite: KFC store visits grew by 13%, TOM shot up by +6%, and conversations grew by +128%. Our story traveled across 54 countries, touching millions and even featuring on JimmyFallon and EllenDeGeneres’ shows.