Credit: Universal McCann

Challenge

KFC, a familiar and well-loved brand by Malaysians. But does this still hold true among Gen Z today? Connecting with them poses a problem because this generation is different from its predecessors. According to YouGov Brand Health data, KFC’s brand health among Gen Z has been a cause for concern over the past 1 year (1 Jun’22 – 31 May’23).

  • Consideration: 41.0%
  • Buzz: 32.5%
  • Brand Index: 28.3%

To resonate with the new generation, KFC needs a platform that goes beyond traditional means. We needed to disrupt the status quo to win them over, ultimately improving the overall brand health.

Solution

Building on the insights from GWI, we found that Gen Z has a strong affinity for fashion (i113), music (i115), gaming (i135) and live events (i120). According to YouGov, friendship takes precedence as they prioritise friends over their family members (i169).

With that in mind, we then crafted a connected trifecta, the 3F strategy to align our approach with Gen Z’s core values.

  • Friendship: To trigger Gen Z’s sense of belonging by creating fun KFC memories through trendy and exciting experiences.
  • Fashion: To drive fashion statement with Original streetwear in collaboration with the iconic local brands between KFC x Pestle & Mortar x Ujang.
  • Food: To create FOMO with ala “TikTok hacks” menu items only available exclusively at the event. Once they’re gone, they’re gone forever!

Taking a different campaign approach, we created a K-Town experience that bridges the generation gaps between KFC and Gen Z, instead of pushing a run-of-the-mill offer.

We introduced Kentucky Town (K-Town), a Gen Z-esque PLATFORM where we prioritise their experiences while KFC takes a backseat. This 7-day event took place at Sunway Pyramid, a bubbling hub for Gen Zs and students.

Phase 1: Awareness

Radio

  • To kickstart the conversation and build anticipation for our K-Town, we introduced 4 Friendship talksets across our top radio stations – ERA, Hitz and MY.
  • Each talkset was carefully curated to cover all facets of the 3F strategy and was supplemented with recorded promos. We ran them during the evening drive time segment to ensure high exposure.

TV

  • Tapping into MeleTOP, our No. 1 Malay live talkshow, Radin (ERA), Ucop and Hazeman Huzir made their appearance on the show to highlight the Kentucy Town event, encouraging footfall.

Phase 2: Engagement

  • We ran an exciting call-in contest, where 40 lucky listeners from ERA and Hitz were invited to the media launch event. The contest was pushed across all radio touchpoints, including recorded promo, live liner and social, for a week, covering all grounds.

Phase 3: On-Ground Event

  • We organised an outside broadcast where 2 radio announcers, Zer (Hitz) and Isha (ERA) interacted with residents at Kentucky Town.
  • Other radio announcers from ERA, MY and Hitz (Friends of Astro Radio) were invited to Kentucky Town, where they shared their K-Town experience on their social media.
  • We engaged the crowd with Friendship-themed games, e.g. ‘Besties or Just Friends’, ‘Friendship Circles’.
  • To sustain the campaign’s momentum, we showcased all the key attractions through social and radio to inform people about what they were missing out.

Results

And that’s how KFC went from being a stranger to becoming a bestie with Gen Zs!

Kentucky Town welcomed 26,000 visitors and gained 3.1x incremental in sales from the exclusive menu. Due to popular demand, the exclusive Samyang Buldak Double Down menu is offered nationwide.

YouGov Brand metrics among Gen Zs also observed improvements across:

  • Consideration: 41.0% > 46.6% (+5.6pp)
  • Buzz: 32.5% > 49.4% (+16.9pp)
  • Brand Index: 28.3% > 40.1% (+11.8pp)

The campaign successfully reached 8.9 million listeners on ERA and Hitz, and our radio announcers achieved an engagement rate of 10% on social (exceeded by 8 points vs benchmark).