At the end of a week of unbranded pro-chicken “lobbying”, the UK (those who hadn’t guessed) discovered that they had been witnessing the beginning of KFC’s biggest-ever UK brand campaign, Believe in Chicken, on Friday June 14.The beautifully bizarre launch film premiered at the Euros opening match, Germany v Scotland, from 20:00 on ITV1, with a prime 90-second slot.
The film takes viewers on a journey inspired by the mad, mad world of today. It plays on the fact that life around us has become more unreliable, false, and untrustworthy than ever. From AI to an unpredictable economy, from extreme weather to baffling fashion, from online dating profiles to the amount of crisps you get in a packet, the new campaign aims to offer fans something to believe in…chicken.
Directed by Vedran Rupic via Business Club, the plot “dances” to a hypnotic beat. The commercial’s soundtrack merges futuristic vibes with classical Gregorian Chant, creating a dramatic tone. Choreographed by Sven Lesoria (who also stars), a collective movement grows to the hero chicken’s hypnotic head bob and staggering forward strides, culminating in everyone joining the circle to Believe in Chicken.
Director, Vedran Rupic, commented, “From the start, I had a really good feeling about this campaign. It’s bold, clear and simple. The viewer should feel like they wanna move after seeing this. And if not, they should be: literally just vibing. To me, this was one of those inside-out ideas, where I’m never solving narrative problems, or patching ideas together. The core idea coupled with a big musical component meant I had everything I needed to make it interesting. This is the type of job in one’s life that has one thinking: Why am I not only doing jobs like this?”
Kate Wall, marketing director at KFC, added, We believe wholeheartedly in chicken at KFC. It’s our core obsession always has been and always will be. This campaign is pushing the importance of this as our number one belief and celebrating this in an irreverently witty way.”
After the launch, the film will be shown on TV, cinema, BVOD, online video, and social platforms.
In parallel, KFC will dominate outdoor space nationwide on high-impact placements, including a range of banners, large-format screens, buses, and the iconic Piccadilly Lights. Believe messaging in snappy headline format will be accompanied by shots of KFC favourites. As the summer progresses, the out-of-home activity will develop to be tailored to the format.
Martin Rose, executive creative director at Mother, commented, “Believe in Chicken isn’t just a tagline, it embodies the sentiment shared by everyone who touches KFC. Having one simple truth at the core of what you do makes you really powerful. You get to stand up and stand out. While our competitors may dabble in chicken (we have no beef with that), we’re simply restoring chicken to its rightful place, the top.”
Chris Gallery, partner at Mother added, “KFC and Mother have always been each other’s biggest believers. Great work comes from partnerships like this. We tried to produce something that makes everyone else believe too.”
The campaign follows a week of intriguing “breadcrumbs” spread across the UK:
Credits
Client: KFC UK & Ireland
CMO: Monica Pool
Marketing Director: Kate Wall
Head of Advertising & Retail: Leo Sloley
Senior Brand Manager: Margaret Pomaah
Creative: Mother
Strategy: Mother
Media: Mindshare
PR: Freuds
Editing: The Quarry
Partner & Editor: Paul Watts
Executive Producer: Dilia Knobel-Winterstein
VFX: Black Kite
VFX Lead: Jonny Freeman
Senior Producer: Tamara Mennell
Sound: King Lear
Sound Designer: Jack Sedgwick
Executive Producer: Natalie Curran
Music Supervision: Mr Pape
Music Supervisor: John Connon
Production Company (film): Business Club
Director: Vedran Rupic
Producer: Christian Kuosmanen
Executie Producers: Tom Berendsen
Director’s Rep: Noah Matthews
Production Manager: Savvas Stavrou
1st AD: Robert Blishen
DOP: Nicolay Poulsson
Service Company: Grandma
Executive Producers:: Linas Martinkenas & Indre Petrukaitiene
Producer, LT: Linas (AK) Požėra
Production Manager, LT: Linas Suprikas
