#MARKiesAwards MY 2021 highlight: KFC's 86-song Spotify playlist strikes a chord with fans

The Movement Control Order (MCO) took a toll on QSRs, especially those that relied heavily on dine-in. Food delivery apps also posed another competition for QSRs, offering ease and convenience to consumers. Hence, to prepare for the lifting of restrictions and the ability to dine-in once again, KFC Malaysia and Naga DDB Tribal knew the team had to do something eye-catching to capture the attention of consumers and draw them back to the fried chicken joint. With that, the team came up with the campaign KFC You Soon, which won Most Creative - Audio at A+M's MARKies Awards 2021. Find out how the team charmed consumers and our judges.

Challenge

The first Movement Control Order last March saw dine-in being restricted nationwide. During the lockdown, food delivery aggregators such as GrabFood and foodpanda rose to prominence, levelling the playing field for challenger QSR brands that traditionally commanded a much smaller store footprint. With consumers being stuck at home and seeking novelty, challenger QSR brands took to the food delivery aggregators to gain market share through aggressive price promotions. Beyond food, KFC Malaysia has always focused on the dine-in experience and thus, this shift led to KFC being among one of the biggest losers.

Sales during the first MCO dipped and KFC also faced an uphill battle to cut through the digital share of voice at a time when every brand was doubling down on advertising. When it came time to reopen its stores, KFC Malaysia and Naga DDB Tribal knew the brand couldn't make do with just a functional announcement even though it had the budget for a small campaign. With an environment still cluttered by discounting from challenger QSR brands, KFC had to remind Malaysians about their emotional love for the brand. It wanted to treat the reopening less like an announcement and more like an event itself if it hoped to win back its fried chicken lovers.

Strategy

KFC and Naga DDB Tribal gained inspiration when its research revealed that one of the top activities during MCO was listening to music. Also, another top activity consumers wanted to engage in after MCO was lifted was to meet friends again. Digging deeper on social media, the team struck gold when it realised that people were missing KFC like they were missing their friends. This inspired them to make the store come alive.

Instead of merely announcing that KFC has reopened for dine-in, the team serenaded consumers back into its stores with 86 songs for the 86 days of KFC dine-in being banned. The team launched a Spotify playlist with a mix of “I-miss-you-come-back-to-me” kind of songs that showed how much KFC missed its customers. To drive people to the Spotify playlist, it launched a dedication music video showing KFC furniture, equipment and dispensers, who was missing its customers so much, it made a lovesick playlist.

Quirky and fun, the campaign was ideated with the intent to put a smile on consumers' faces – just like KFC’s Original Recipe fried chicken.

Execution

To create the "KFC You Soon" Spotify playlist, the team began looking for songs that best expressed the "I-miss-you-come-back-to-me" feeling. KFC and Naga DDB Tribal looked for both the classics and modern love songs, across all major languages to ensure that it resonated with all Malaysians.

It also tried to be inclusive by featuring songs in various languages, from Bahasa Melayu to Chinese and English, as well as songs from different generations. For the younger generation, tracks such as Kodaline's "All I Want" and Bruno Mars's "Talking to the Moon" were featured. To target the older generation, it featured tracks such as Sinead O'Connor's "Nothing Compares to You" and Aerosmith's "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing". Hip hop fans also received a treat as the team got them grooving to Joe Filzow's "Apa Khabar".

Launched on 16 June last year after the MCO was lifted, the Spotify playlist was promoted with an MV on YouTube and cross-promoted on Facebook for easy discovery. The team also wanted to express the idea of KFC missing its customers in an entertaining way. To do so, it turned the lyrics from the playlist hits into a dialogue, resulting in a dedication MV featuring KFC furniture, equipment and dispensers set in a lonely KFC store. Each of these told fried chicken lovers how much it missed them through the use of the popular and instantly recognisable song lyrics as found on the Spotify playlist.

Results

The campaign, which ran for two weeks from 15 to 30 June last year, delivered over six million impressions and a 28% lift in brand buzz scores, according to the YouGov Brand Index. It also led to a 13% lift in brand consideration scores and a 66% lift in purchase intent scores. At the same time, KFC also saw these brand health indicators translated into actual sales, with a measureable increase in current customers from 51.8% to 56.5% post-campaign.