Our quick response to Ahlam’s outburst paid off!
- We fueled over 17 million combined views of Ahlam’s KFC outburst via YouTube, user generated posts, memes, and images – valued at approximately $850,000
- KFC’s online share of voice was a staggering 91% compared to other sponsors with 50,000+ mentions of the KFC brand across all social and online media.
- Retail stores across the region saw a combined increase in footfall of 11% the week after Ahlam’s outburst. Customers jokingly requested the ‘Ahlam Meal.’
All of this for only a bucket of KFC and a bouquet of flowers.
Creative Execution
First, we told the KFC nearest the Arab Idol studio to deliver buckets of KFC and a bouquet of flowers to Ahlam and her crew.
Simultaneously, we posted Ahlam’s outburst to YouTube and tweeted the link out to Arab Idol followers. It was just too rich for us not to share – and share again.
Within the hour, Ahlam received her KFC delivery in her dressing room. The pleased pop icon posted pictures on Instagram, tweeting them out to her followers and thanking KFC. We of course re-tweeted and shared this on our own social feeds and the wider web community.
We continued to seed Ahlam content with popular bloggers, who tagged KFC where they could. And a social media frenzy erupted with organic memes, mock videos, and jokes of the entire incident. One eager fan even produced a rap song that went viral based on the theme “KINTACKY! KINTACKY! KINTACKY!”
Insights, Strategy and the Idea
As lead sponsor of the hit reality competition Arab Idol, KFC wanted to stand out in a sea of other sponsors. Beyond our regular sponsorship assets, we knew social was where we could really make a difference. But we needed to be prepared to react promptly to anything thrown our way.
Our moment of truth arrived when a MAJOR craving for KFC hit celebrity judge, Ahlam Al Shamsi, during a live telecast. With her mouth watering for KFC, the pop diva went on a full-minute tirade demanding KFC be delivered straight away. Shouting, “KINTACKY! KINTACKY! KINTACKY!” she joked if KFC didn’t meet her demands, her 2.8 million Twitter followers would hear about it.
We formed a response strategy on the spot, to prove to Ahlam and her fans that we were listening and to exploit the incident in KFC’s favor.
The clock was ticking, and our teams sprang into action!