Red Rooster and Leo Australia have written a hot honey story. Steamy, if your mind leans into innuendo. The AI-powered e-storybook is called The Birds & The Bees: The Unofficial Story of How Hot Honey Crunch Was Made. Fitting happily into the current soft porn trend in women’s literature it also keeps a hero menu item (Red Rooster Hot Honey) in the epicentre of cultural buzz.
The tongue-in-cheek, adults-only parody picture book explores the “origin story” of Hot Honey chicken via two star-crossed lovers – Chris P. Chicken and Hot Honey. Styled in the nostalgic tone of the classic Golden Books genre, but reimagined for grown-ups, the book is part How I Met Your Mother, part Where Did I Come From?, part Romeo & Juliet.
It was produced with AI illustration tools, a first for both Red Rooster and Leos, and is is available free via Red Rooster’s merch shop.
The book is everything The Stable loves – wild inventiveness, gorgeous aesthetics, a genuine bond with its product…and a walk on the sexy side. Michelle Walsh, creative director, Leo Australia, and Sam Bragg, CEO, Red Rooster agreed to satisfy The Stable’s curiosity. Here is some inside info about The Birds & The Bees: The Unofficial Story of How Hot Honey Crunch Was Made:
The Stable: This is light years away from the competition of fast-food advertising – even though the sector is an inventive one. What was the thinking behind your walk on the wild side and tapping into the current soft porn women’s novel fad? Please tell its “personal story”.
Michelle Walsh: At Red Rooster, we have to punch above our weight and be smarter about the work we create, going up against global brands. We needed a bold idea that would remind Aussies where the unique flavour combo of Hot Honey Crunch originated. We also wanted to highlight Red Rooster’s quality ingredients and the love and care that goes into their cooking process. This got us thinking about how Hot Honey Crunch was conceived, and what would happen when a crunchy chicken drumstick and a hot saucy honeypot loved each other very, very much. The result is an entertaining spin on the age-old story of the birds and the bees and the creation of a whole new genre of literature. They say sex sells. But whether or not sex between a drumstick and some dipping sauce sells, I guess we’ll find out.
The Stable: There are so many references packed into this little story. How was the script developed?
Sam Bragg: It was truly a group collaborative effort between Leos and Reds. Red’s marketing team wanted to bring Hot Honey to Australia’s attention again but in a new and fresh way that was relevant, buzzworthy and in true Reds style. After we landed on the concept and story, we did have great fun Red Roosterfying the illustrations and the narrative. For example, little Easter eggs are sprinkled throughout the book if you look close enough.
Michelle Walsh: Initially, we wanted the entire book to be AI-generated. But we were up against the clock and didn’t have the time to teach AI. We needed the dirty minds of humans for that. So, while we used AI to help us generate a basic story structure, the innuendo, story beats, and Romeo & Juliet-style drama are the handywork of Bill and Lewis our creative team. The first draft of the book had us all in absolute hysterics but it was verging on NSFW, let alone safe for publication. So, we took it from R-rated to G-rated and created a story that was saucy enough to be appreciated by adults but safe enough to go right over children’s heads.
The Stable: What were the decisions that led to the story’s visual style – and its media form?
Michelle Walsh: We came up with the format of the book and how it was created in order to move at a pace with this category-first idea. Generative AI was going to be the quickest and easiest way to meet our deadline but the book also presented the perfect opportunity to stretch the legs of Publicis’ new suite of AI tools. Working closely with our creative technologist and in-house design and production team, we used the tools to bring our characters and the world of Red Roosterland to life, in the style of a classic children’s book.
The Stable: Red Rooster seems to have moved its target audience from “everyday Aus family” to cool young things – and now cool young parents. What was the thinking behind plunging into KFC and Macca’s territory.
Michelle Walsh: Red Rooster is, and always has been, a brand for Aussies and lovers of chicken. This is not a deliberate push to target any specific audience. We are engaging chook lovers of all ages with this story, in a fun and irreverent way. And it’s the way Reds has always been – fun, cheeky and a little bit offbeat – so this is just us being true to ourselves, not trying to play catch-up with the big US brands.
The Stable: The Red Nose Day connection is a nice touch. How and why did it come about?
Sam Bragg: Red Nose is a cause that we believe has always been the perfect match for us at Red Rooster. The synergies are obvious and we knew that this campaign provided the perfect opportunity to help such a worthy and important cause. Also, the fact that Red Nose Day is the day after campaign launch day was serendipitous and not to be ignored. We are chuffed that Red Nose felt exactly the same way and enthusiastically agreed for us to work together towards a common goal and cause. We wanted to give back in our own Hot Honey way – so the promotion seemed a no brainer.
The wider campaign:
Actress and musician, Casey Burgess (former Hi-5 star), will amplify the story with a read-aloud performance across Red Rooster’s social platforms. The campaign is further extended through online video, digital, PR, creator content plus a first-time unique charity partnership with Red Nose Australia. Limited printed copies will be used for content and giveaways.
The Red Nose partnership means that on Thursday 28 August, Red Nose Day, Red Rooster will donate $1 from every Hot Honey Satisfryer Box sold nationally to Red Nose.
Credits:
Client: Red Rooster
Head of Marketing: Lisa White
Brand Manager: Stephanie Gardner
PR & Communications Manager: Stella Katsaros
Creative Agency: Leo Australia
Executive Creative Director: Tommy Cehak
Creative Director: Michelle Walsh
Copywriter: Bill Scheggia
Art Director: Lewis Catalano
Chief Client Partner: James Walker-Smith
Group Business Director: Shae Jones
Business Manager: Max Reiser
Production: PXP
Head of Multimedia Operations: Dan Meyers
Executive Producer: Nicole Marshall
Integrated Producer: Emily Suine
Senior Experiential Designer: Cindy Kuoch
Senior Partnerships Manager @ Prodigious: Gab Vieira
