Anything For That KFC Taste

A tongue in cheek piece by Greg Gray which puts a twist on KGC’s finger lickin good chicken

The story of a shameless trickster has been darkening the doorways of KFCs across South Africa. Word spread far and wide on social media that someone was visiting KFC restaurants posing as a quality assurance inspector and, while the truth of this assertion has not been confirmed, it does demonstrate the extraordinary lengths people will go to for the irresistible finger-licking-good-taste of the world’s most famous chicken.

Inspired by this viral report of a KFC-obsessed imposter, KFC and its advertising agency, Ogilvy South Africa, cleverly tapped into popular culture to launch a new brand film ‘Anything for the Taste’.

“This is such an entertaining story – made even more so by the fact that it’s true (sort of) – and presents a great opportunity to capture the audience’s imagination with the passion and dedication that KFC inspires”

- Greg Gray, director, Romance Films

I wonder how do people get a hold of all these interesting stories. To me, its such a good piece of work that would easier branch out to soo many extensions.

Adorable Chick changes into a Demonic Bird.

Transforming an Adorable Long-Established Mascot into a Demonic Bird.

Because the character was so long - established, we had to provide its motive for turning evil

How did the idea to transform Nissin’s popular mascot character into a demon originate?

Actually, the idea originally came up in our first meeting with Nissin Foods. Its brand of chicken ramen instant noodles has a long history, so its customer base is made up of families and relatively older consumers for the most part. For that reason, Nissin Foods wanted to attract younger consumers by creating an exciting new brand of spicy ramen called Akuma no Kimura. That was the context for the original idea.

A lot of ideas came up during our presentation, which was attended by the president of Nissin Foods. As the discussions grew more and more animated, we started talking about transforming the Hiyoko-chan character into a demonic bird. With that concept as the basis of the campaign, we thought that using an aggressive heavy metal song as a soundtrack for the chicken ramen commercial would be a compelling means to express that transformation.

We took the idea back to Dentsu, and under the direction of our creative director, Kota Tohata, our team decided on how to depict the mascot’s metamorphosis into a demonic bird in the TV commercial. Specifically, the commercial shows the Hiyoko-chan character raising a bowl of the Akuma no Kimura instant noodles up to the sky to summon the demon, and then suddenly undergoing a demonic transformation. Incidentally, we adopted the idea of summoning the noodles for three minutes (the time of waiting for the instant noodles to cook after filling the bowl with boiling water) based on a suggestion in the presentation. Using the specific term “Summon for three minutes” for the action of preparing the noodles made it easier for us to create a buzz on social media sites. We also incorporated this idea in the backing track of the commercial. - Noriaki Onoe

By itself, the TV commercial depicts the character’s sudden transformation without providing any context. That would have been too abrupt for fans of Hiyoko-chan to accept because this character has been popular for such a long time. Therefore, we created a background story in advance of airing the commercial to provide the reason for and the process of the metamorphosis. It was important to explain Hiyoko-chan’s motive for turning evil. It’s funny, but I had always felt sorry for the mascot because it is a chicken doing commercials for chicken ramen. It was also shown using eggs to make meringue cookies in a character book published in the past.

How was the background story of the character’s transformation created?

Around that time, many users of Twitter in Japan had been accidently posting private tweets on their public accounts. By having Hiyoko-chan do the same thing on a Twitter account, we thought such tweets would attract some interest. Indeed, Hiyoko-chan had only been tweeting like a good mascot until then, so if it suddenly started tweeting some nasty things, people would take notice.

We began by having Hiyoko-chan post a long “caw” to get attention, followed by a string of shocking tweets declaring “I’ve had enough,” “This farce is over,” and “How can a chick be advertising chicken ramen?”

After seeing these posts, many of Hiyoko-chan’s followers checked Nissin Foods’ chicken ramen website to see what was going on, only to discover the mascot’s resignation letter declaring “No more goody - goody!”

After that, other Nissin Foods product webpages were defaced with Hiyoko-chan’s rough graffiti. We also created a special website in collaboration with the magazine Mu, which specialises in the occult and unexplained mysteries, featuring content that confirmed and explained the main reasons and events leading up to the character’s transformation.

We took great care to create every detail of this campaign. Because the character is so long-established, changing it to a demon was audacious. It could even trigger a negative reaction. In that regard, if numerous aspects of the content were unclear or ambiguous, I think people encountering the campaign would, indeed, view it critically. Such criticism, however, would be unlikely if the story of the character’s transformation was explained in detail, the content left no room for other interpretations, and the overall production was strong enough to exceed people’s expectations.

Danish Road Safety Council: Wear a Helmet

To combat a lack of helmet-wearing in Copenhagen, the Danish Road Safety Council launched this brilliant campaign that poked gentle fun at people who thought they were too cool for safety. Highlighting that the Vikings weren’t too fashion conscious in a lighthearted way, it gets its point across in an amusing way that’s hard to argue with. Simple, fun and with great production values. I’d love to see it pick up some metal for Denmark.

Santtu Mustonen: Projections On Glass

Artist Santtu Mustonen developed these art pieces which focuses on aspects of rhythmic city environments, and the pace of city life through the expression of city lights.

Ikea: There’s always room to change.

Leo Burnett KSA tap into our need to sort out the Covid clutter with a beautifully illustrated design.

With the Covid pandemic affecting the whole world, IKEA was hoping to inspire people to make a change or 60 with their new campaign running in Saudi Arabia.

The creative from Leo Burnett KSA and Caustick came up with an idea using tessellated jigsaw of isometric room designs slotted together. The design plays with repetition to create an oddly soothing effect. In terms of execution, there’s a stunning set of still print and poster designs as well as animated social media executions. The team at Leo Burnett KSA worked with illustrator Jaafar Deeb to bring the idea to life with hand drawn images.

The idea is to show, visually, that there’s always room to change, displaying over 60 of Ikea’s storage and organisation solutions.

It was inspired by the insight that during Covid-19, many of us have picked up new hobbies and interests as well as having to set up makeshift home workspaces. As a result, our living spaces have become more cluttered, and that clutter in turn has added to the stress of an already anxiety-inducing scenario. That mess can create a mental block and stop people changing and moving forward.

Launching on January 9th 2021, the campaign includes three posters and three videos. Each shows a different room, for a different target audience. The first visual is kitchen focused and shows how, the same kitchen, had room to change from hosting a family that ate take out, to hosting the same family that started cooking gourmet meals in the same kitchen. The second visual shows how, literally, the same bedroom had room to change, from being a baby girl’s room to a teenager’s room, gradually. The third visual shows how, a same living room, had room to change, from being a bachelor’s pad, all the way to a divorcé’s living room.

Information source : LittleBlackBook, Leo Burnett KSA (agency), Caustick (production), Jaafar Deeb(illustration)

Top 3 tips to misunderstanding the Gen Z market

There is altogether too much written about Gen Z - and most of it is utter shit. Worse than shit, it is worryingly contradictory.

On the one hand they are painted as optimistic, career driven, environmental activists willing to make massive sacrifices (including foregoing sex, drugs and rock and roll) to get what they want or need. On the other - and apparently entirely antithetical - hand, they are terrified for the future - both economic and ecological and are awash with equal feelings of hopelessness and helplessness.

So which Gen Z is the genuine one? Or are they both true? Or, is it possible that the reality is far more nuanced, complicated, and fluid than most researchers looking for a soundbite would let you believe? Probably. So, why not try to get a more honest understanding - from real, decent data.

To understand this tricksy audience we need to employ a more rigorous perspective, choosing not to jump on the bandwagon or make sweeping statements for the sake of a ‘marketable’ point of view we can pitch to clients eager for insight. In today’s sensationalist climate, we face three very real and distinct challenges in cutting through the industry nonsense and finding some truth:

1. Bias

We look at Gen Z through the biases of our own childhoods and adolescence. From hazy recollections to murkier shades, Gen Z is often tarred with the taint of our own personal and out of date narratives. We also, evidently, struggle to understand people who don’t think like us… doesn’t sound like us at all, does it?!

2. Homogeny

There’s a prevalent assumption that Gen Z are all the same - a homogenous group of individuals with similar desires and frustrations. In reality, they change substantially almost year on year, dependent on life events and developmental stages. A 14-year-old student from a working class area in London is going to have very different interests to a 23-year-old middle class doctor from Edinburgh.

3. Click-Bait

Unscrupulous experts (and editors) swing data towards sensationalist headlines, producing click-bait with exceptionally shallow foundations. Data must be interrogated and interacted with, otherwise superficial conclusions are drawn hastily and irresponsibly.

Without addressing these issues at an industry level we’ll keep making the same mistakes, keep pushing the same poorly formed conclusions and keep sharing the same inaccurate ‘data’ points from shoddy ‘back-alley’ sources.

Digging into research from reputable sources, like the IPA and YouthSight’s report ‘Gen Z: Exile on Mainstream, is vital in our moving forward. We must approach the research with a desire to get to the truth - not just a headline.

How We Rebuild The Bridge

The one and only key to Gen Z marketing is genuine understanding. From here we can more accurately assess what it is they want from brands.

Which is...what?

Well, many things, but for starters they want brands to support them in the causes and cultural moments they feel are important.

Brands - with their large marketing budgets and international fame, access to celebrities, mass influencers and broadcast media - have an unparalleled opportunity to really get behind the projects and topics that matter to Gen Z. Most notably in supporting them to action the change that the world needs. By sharing the responsibility of trying to change behaviours, brands are able to relieve anxiety amongst Gen Z-ers, who feel alone in giving a shit about the state of the earth.

However, there are a multitude of ways of achieving this. And it’s fraught with equal risk and reward.

Take Nike, for example; a brand that chose to celebrate amazing and inspirational people already changing the world - providing a global platform for their message and passions. This approach feels real. It feels authentic.

Yet Gillette, another global brand leader, attempted to depict how they should be living. With them supposedly being the heroes – or at least the ones inspiring them. A small difference from Nike’s offering, but a vitally important one.

Nike gave fame and recognition to those who deserve it, using their budget and social capital to push a progressive agenda. Gillette piggy-backed (and profited) from an already established movement, trying to take a little slice of credit for themselves.

The truth is, pushing an agenda purely to be able to say you’re pushing an agenda - be it social justice or financial, will be immediately discernible. Especially by as sceptical and questioning an audience as Gen Z.

If, on the other hand, we choose to employ the same standard of rigorous fairness, equality and celebration across the spectrum - not just to brag about it or include in our communications - then we’re set for a much smoother sail.


So, What Now?

While we spend the majority of our time trying to understand Gen Z, they spend theirs trying to understand us. Are we real, or at least authentic? Do we care about more than just turning a profit or do we do what we do for fame? Do we act, speak, create with integrity? Even in the face of resistance? It is these questions that ultimately decide whether Gen Z will spend their money on our products, ideas and creativity.

I just wonder who’ll suss out who first…

Telling Stories

Every brand has a story to tell. In today’s era of narrative-driven marketing, that’s truer than ever.


And every brand also has Stories to tell. The growing importance of Instagram and Facebook’s Stories format for mobile-driven storytelling – for consumers and brands alike – has made it a crucial channel for delivering messages in new and innovative ways.

Stories is increasingly becoming the format that consumers use across these critical social channels. It’s fun, vertical, immersive and totally modern. It’s a way of using quick-hit visual excitement to engage and enchant people. It’s how your customers are communicating with their friends and documenting their journeys.


In fact, over 500 million accounts use Instagram Stories daily and more than 300 million use Facebook and Messenger Stories daily.


Businesses are taking note, which is why they’re turning to Stories to help drive marketing results. There are more than 2 million monthly active advertisers on Stories ads, and they’re using this format to drive results across the customer journey from awareness to sales.

But many of the old rules of visual storytelling don’t apply to this emergent format. Stories has changed consumer behavior, so brands need to deliver their messages in fresh ways that fully embrace its narrative power. It’s a new canvas. Some have conquered it. Others are experimenting and watching their results. The bible of best practices is still being written.

So, whether you’re just getting started with Stories or you’re an old hand at it with a full year’s worth of know-how, you’ve got to be ready to maximize the creative impact of your campaign.

Let's take a dive into five of the imaginative ways leading brands around the world are making Stories ads their own.

THE VERTICAL CANVAS

Stories are mobile. And to create an immersive video experience on mobile, you need to fully embrace the vertical format because, well, that’s the way that people hold their phones.

But the 9x16 vertical format doesn’t simply mean you want to chop a segment out of your traditional landscape videos. That just won’t work. You’ve got to get creative and understand what people expect in vertical.

Consider, for example, what these Instagram creators have to say about vertical video.

Let’s cover a few basics.

First off, consider what was the inspiration behind many of the first vertical executions – selfies. Vertical works best when it zeros in on a single item that fills the frame. It could be a person. Or it could be your product. Tight close ups that might seem excessive on a bigger screen really become engrossing on mobile. More space and fewer distractions.

Vertical also requires you to think up-and-down instead of side-to-side. The viewers' eyes are interested in what is coming down from the top of the screen or up from the bottom. The flow of movement in your Stories should incorporate this. After all, that’s why the key command is “swipe up” and not “swipe right.”

When U.K. retailer Marks & Spencer built a Stories campaign around its “Our Best Ever Burger” competition, it took full advantage of the vertical canvas. Instead of shooting the burger from above, it took a side view, utilizing the height of the vertical layout to show the height of a well-dressed sandwich. It then let the user see the way everything got put together, with bun, lettuce, tomato, beef, cheese, pickles and bacon dropping down from the top of the screen to create the best burger.

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Fashion rental subscription service Le Tote saw the vertical format as the ideal way to show models in its clothes. Full body shots go head-to-toe from the top to the bottom of the screen, using movement and a bright background to make each outfit stand out. Cuts to closeups show different pieces and the attitude of the models, while providing a canvas for native ad elements like stickers and a clear call-to-action around the offer.

SPEED IS KEY

Quick cuts and fast-moving creative fit the mobile format. That’s why many successful Stories advertisers use speed as a creative tool.

People consume Stories quickly. Plus, on average, top-performing ads in Stories were shorter than lower-performing ads. While you should let the quality of your content drive the length of your Stories, it really pays to be succinct and to get to the point immediately.

What does that look like?

Try different lengths. A little testing of, say, 3-, 6- and 15-second clips will give you a sense of what works best for your particular creative and messaging. What’s important is you get to the point quickly – this is not a format that lends itself to a lot of set-up.

And speaking of quickly, get your brand in as early as possible. Title cards, logos and using brand storytelling upfront will help support things like brand recall.

HelloFresh, for example, starts off its Stories ad with its logo on one of its signature delivery boxes, so people know immediately what the ad is about. Users tap to open the box and then tap to enjoy the ingredients put together into a tasty meal. It all happens in just a few seconds, ending with a call-to-action for the viewer to swipe up on the offer.

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Reservation platform OpenTable, meanwhile, kicks off the O of its logo before using succinct and direct language – Find a restaurant. For any occasion. – to highlight its value proposition. In less than six seconds, you know the brand, what it stands for and what your benefit will be.

SOUND IS KEY

You’ve no doubt heard that your mobile Stories should be able to be understood with the sound off. That’s a standard best practice for a lot of fast-format digital video. But here’s a little secret: Sound can also make a big difference.

In fact, many people view Stories with the sound on. Sound also affects conversions. To understand the impact of sound on performance, Facebook conducted a conversion lift study comparing performance of ads with sound versus the same ad creative without sound. It found that 80 percent of the time the creative with sound outperformed the no sound creative for conversion metrics.

What’s the best way to delight with sound?

Many brands turn to music. Coca-Cola Mexico used a fun cut from Kevin Johansen’s “Guacamole” to link its “Comida Rica” Stories ads to its bigger campaign about how the soft drink goes with delicious food. Note as well how the spot uses playful carousel images to underscore the lighthearted soundtrack.

For Halloween, Butterfinger played off the sounds of the season – spooky tunes, a lightning storm, the flapping of bat wings. A simple spot for candy-driven festivities, but sound plays an important role in making the brand stand out.

Another option? Voiceover, especially when you want to add more information about your product or service.

THINK IN CHAPTERS

Instagram and Facebook Stories themselves are often divided into a series of visuals. As a result, viewers are often quite receptive to ads that build their narrative through multiple quick scenes or chapters.

In other words, two (or more) scenes are better than one.

But before you turn your Stories into Dickens novels, remember that it is all about your narrative arc. Be judicious about the lengths of individual scenes, not to mention the length of the overall execution. Your goal: allow on-the-go Stories viewers to take in as many chapters of the Stories as possible.

Wrigley’s 5 Gum did this by creating five-chapter stories in the form of a five-second countdown. Each execution – using images edited down from the brand’s TV spots – tells the story of a potentially life-altering scenario like leaning in for a first kiss. The result? Optimizing the ads for Instagram Stories alone resulted in an 11 percent lift in sales (per Nielsen Catalina analysis).

But multiple scenes don’t have to have that kind of arc. Fashion, for instance, can turn multiple styles into multiple chapters. Topshop, for instance, uses a series of quick cuts to show different parts of its collection. A little vibrant. A little bit rock-and-roll. A uniting narrative that can include a half-dozen different pieces in one 12-second spot.

PLAY WITH IT

Here’s the thing about the Stories format: There’s always a new way to immerse viewers in your message. The best way to find out new best practices is to try a little experimentation. Mix and match different creative elements. Look for ways to bring some interactivity to your ads. Take advantage of native elements like stickers that your viewers might be using and incorporate them into your efforts.

Play. Make your Stories fun.

Of course, that doesn’t mean you have to incorporate the whole kitchen sink of Instagram elements into every one of your ads. Use them strategically so they add something to your overall storytelling.

That’s what Dunkin’ did. When Instagram released the polling sticker feature in ads, the Dunkin’ team tried it out immediately. It asked viewers to choose their favorite American classic – donut or fries. The polling feature let viewers see the overall vote tallies. But the message revealed something far more exciting – they didn’t have to choose. The ad showcased a new product that combined both, Dunkin’ donuts in an easy-to-eat french fry shape.

Ikea also did some experimenting with Instagram creative elements. This holiday campaign in Korea used stickers to add dynamic graphic elements to the different scenes. The goal: Make the stories more interesting so that viewers are more likely to engage with them.


Information source : Adweek, Kay Hsu (Global Director, Creative Shop)

25hours in 25 hours

Design and film studio From Form shows the hotel operator in a new film, hour by hour

Today sees the launch of ‘25hours in 25 hours’, a new film by design and film studio From Form & production company HALAL. Briefed to create a brand film that would communicate 25hours Hotels’ unconventional mix of contemporary services as a social hub, they partnered with From Form (Jurjen Versteeg and Ashley Govers) to bring to life their brand message in a dynamic, surprising and fun way.

Crafting a short film that would be representative of the diversity of the 25hours Hotels, share their story whilst visually be a reflection of their brand identity, From Form generated the idea of using 25 hours, literally, as the foundation of the film. Developing different styles, such as mixing animation, stop motion and real-life footage, and giving each hour and time of day a tempo and energy highlighting the time of day referred to, the film pushes the boundaries between reality and surreal. Each element of the 25 hours is a symbol of aspects important to the brand. Added up, the 25 components utilize expressions in craft and style to mirror a film that is as dynamic and diverse as the 25hours Hotels.

Bruno Marti, Chief Brand Officer, 25hours Hotel Company: “25hours has commissioned several films for different target groups over the years. Thanks to From Form, for the first time we have chosen a mixed technique approach and are more than happy with the result. The film showcases the variety of the 25hours brand and displays playfully our main initiatives.”

 
Information source : LittleBlackBook, Halal

Are You in a Possessive Monogamous Relationship with Your Beliefs?

Teodora Mizcov gives her thoughts on making friends and sticking to your values at the same time.

Humans are funny creatures. We think things and then we get attached to thinking them.

This attachment is oftentimes exaggerated - yes, we do need a compass that points towards our values, but we need to be flexible enough to consider the fact the compass might not be pointing due North...

What’s the cure to this boring and dangerous rigidity? I’d argue that it begins with a healthy dose of curiosity.

If you’re not curious, you’re just doing the same thing again and again. You’re hitting the ‘repeat’ button on your days, thoughts, beliefs - and the ‘delete’ button on anything new or disruptive.

So really, if you’re not curious, you are living in a mental Groundhog Day. Does that sound nightmarish enough? Then here are three very practical ways of injecting some curiosity into your life.

Use people like you would Google

If someone talks about something you’re not familiar with, ask them about it.

People are dying to talk about the things they are passionate about and often drop hints about these subjects in conversation - don’t let your ego get in the way of creating a more meaningful connection with them.

The words ‘I already knew that’ can kill anyone’s enthusiasm. Be interested - chances are they know some detail or have a take on that topic that you didn’t actually already know. Try the words ‘Yes and…’, then see their faces light up. (This is also an acting improv technique.)

Put it on ‘The Shelf’

Malcolm Gladwell has this fantastic metaphor he always uses. (I hope your curiosity inspired you to click that link...)

He says that he sometimes follows threads that he’s not sure he’ll be able to use in his stories just because of his curiosity. The catch is, he does end up using them - just months, years later in a way which he wouldn’t have even thought about when he pursued them.

He calls this collecting stories and putting them on ‘The Shelf’. The point is, don’t look for immediate gratification. Be an explorer of the human experience.

Disconfirm your opinions

This is my favourite game to play.

Develop the self-awareness necessary to identify when you are attached to your beliefs or when they might not be so valid - and then actively look for evidence to disprove them.

In one of my favourite quotes ever, Aristotle said that ‘It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.’

So go ahead and think thoughts that are not yours. Enter an open relationship with your beliefs. Flirt with that sexy strange idea that you only see come up when your mind is a bit hazy.

My Thoughts...

As a creative, i admit that sometimes its really easy to get stuck in our own perspective and when that happens, we usually try and force our ideas or perspective onto others and try and convince them. It a good practice to always adopt an open mind concept when we talk to other and who knows, we may actually learn something new or chance upon a new idea.

Information source : LittleBlackBook, Teodora Mizcov

Community Matters.

Facebook Film Explains what 'Community' Means to People Around the World

Twentyfour Seven serviced the production Facebook's recent 'Community Matters' film with production company RESET and director Diego Contreras.


Facebook’s objective with this project was to create a film that evoked the feeling of community and the experience that comes with being part of something that’s bigger than one individual. It was essential that these videos had a feeling of being multicultural and the brief was to convey as many different communities and neighbourhoods as possible whilst not actually travelling the whole way around the world to do it! This project brought Diego Contreras of Reset Content to our doors and we gladly took on the challenge. 

More works by Diego Contreras

Information source : LittleBlackBook