Kentucky Fried Milk? When Colonel Sanders launched his global chicken franchise, cows were nowhere in sight.
As recently as last year, milkshakes were still a peripheral product. They were on the local KFC menu, but little effort was made to market them.
Not any longer. Today, even the Colonel's moustache is the colour of milkshake.
Ogilvy Johannesburg was behind the campaign that increased KFC milkshake sales by more than 500% and resulted in some franchise outlets running out of stock. It also began the long-term process of stretching the KFC brand beyond its traditional link with chicken.
But these aren't the only reasons why the "Shaking Up KFC" campaign is the winner of this year's AdFocus award for the most effective advertising campaign. Our award measures more than business results.
The milkshake campaign may have won gold at this year's Apex effective advertising awards in the Launch category, but the TV commercial was also among SA's best-liked ads among consumers, as measured by Millward Brown (it was one of two KFC ads in the Top 10). In addition, the campaign impressed our judges for its success in making huge inroads into a cluttered market in which milkshakes are common currency among food outlets, with little variation in flavours or price.
But it was by no means a runaway winner. There was support for campaigns on behalf of Coca-Cola, Vodacom, Castle Lite, Cell C and Pep but the majority felt none had created the impact of KFC. Among the minority, ironically, was KFC marketing head Nikki Rule, who abstained from discussing her company's campaign, then voted for a competitor.
Had it not been for the recession, "Shaking Up KFC" might never have happened. Until last year, the franchise chain had never actively marketed milkshakes. They were just "there". But faced with the need to protect revenue in the face of reduced consumer disposable income, KFC decided to investigate the milkshake market.
As Ogilvy put it in its Apex submission: "The number one goal of the business was to extend its offering beyond its traditional link with chicken, to include new categories that gave consumers new reasons to visit the restaurants.
"Milkshakes, which offer substantially higher margins than prepackaged beverages, were the best bet within that category." The fact the product was already on offer meant the only outlay would be on marketing.
Research suggested that, until then, consumers associated KFC almost exclusively with chicken. "It was not on the radar for other categories such as beverages and sweet snacks. Unless KFC could play in these categories, it had little chance of delivering sustained and consistent growth, particularly in a tough economic climate."
Milkshake sales certainly weren't the only reason for the campaign. Their success, it was hoped, would increase sales for all KFC's sweet snacks. The long-term aim was to migrate the KFC brand's definition to one centred on "great taste". Instead of the traditional "Finger lickin' good", the message was "Delicious till the last drop".
At the heart of the campaign was a TV commercial. It's set in a playground where pretty little Amy accuses a nearby boy of stealing her milkshake. Her angry father snatches the drink, gives it to the girl, then sits beside his wife on a bench. "Can you believe that little punk stole Amy's milkshake?" he fumes. His wife replies: "Amy didn't have a milkshake." Cut to Amy, who's frantically finishing the drink before she's found out.
Away from TV, the campaign was reinforced through a billboard and print campaign showing the Colonel with a coloured moustache - obviously, the result of drinking a milkshake.
But it was TV that grabbed consumer attention. There was even a contrived "controversy" about the ad and Amy's ability to so easily manipulate her father. No-one really took this seriously, but it created an extra talking point. So not only was it liked by consumers, but it also enjoyed high recognition scores.
The impact of the campaign was clear in milkshake sales. In the first week after the campaign launch, these grew 225% compared with the previous year. The second campaign burst pushed this up to 459%, and the final burst 535%, says Ogilvy.
It's the second year in a row the agency has been behind a winning campaign in this category. Last year it won for its campaign on behalf of German luxury car company Audi.
