2014 Winners & Shortlists

ARCH RIVALS

BrandAMERICANA
Product/ServiceKFC ARABIA
EntrantINITIATIVE Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
CategoryDigital Media (Including Internet, Mobile Devices, etc)
Media Agency INITIATIVE Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Entrant Company INITIATIVE Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Media Agency 2 INITIATIVE Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Results and Effectiveness

Online interactions were through the roof! - Social media conversation increased by 137% during the campaign and brand sentiment was up 20% - The Ronaldo photo initiative generated over 65,000 shares in only 45 days, and countless other shares that we are unable to track (e.g., Whatsapp,SMS, email, etc.)

Creative Execution

We started by secretly releasing KFC buckets with Ronaldo’s image during a ‘Clasico’ match. When FC Barcelona lost, Messi fans were taunted with Ronaldo’s face staring up at them. And bloggers helped us launch a social frenzy. Fan rivals began posting jokes, photos and memes. Ronaldo fans mocked Messi for being replaced by Ronaldo, with depictions of Messi working in a KFC back kitchen. And Messi fans retaliated with their own jokes and memes. Next, we released an AR mobile app where fans could take a realistic photo of themselves with Ronaldo in their own surroundings. Ronaldo fans used it to brag, with photos together in their living rooms, backyards, or offices. While Messi fans mocked them, posing with Ronaldo next to garbage dumps or toilets. We continued seeding content to fuel the Ronaldo vs. Messi debate with KFC front and center on every user generated photo, meme or tweet.

Insights, Strategy and the Idea

KFC has had great success leveraging football in many campaigns throughout the years. Recent examples include big ticket deals with Lionel Messi and FC Barcelona. Our next football endorsement needed to really kick up a storm, so we chose Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid, Messi’s biggest nemesis. There is nothing quite like a major sports rivalry! Think Borg vs. McEnroe, Prost vs. Senna, Tyson vs. Holyfield. We knew that if we played on the rivalry of Messi fans versus Ronaldo fans, we would gain a lot of social interaction and user generated content to make our campaign bigger than ever. We also knew that whenever football games were televised, KFC saw an uptick in home deliveries. The upcoming ‘Clasico’ match would be among the most viewed and talked about games of the season. If we played our cards right, it was something that we could use to KFC’s advantage.

Credits

Name Company Role
Ziad Ghorayeb Initiative Media Digital Director
Saadeddine Nahas Initiative Media Digital Media Manager
Alexandra De Smet Initiative Media Senior Digital Planner
Mahdi Jaber Initiative Media Media Director
Anna Sleiman Initiative Media Senior Media Planner