KFC occupies a special place in the hearts of South Africans for its Finger Lickin’ Good taste. So much so, that some would even pose as fake KFC food inspectors to get their hands on that iconic Taste for free.

Our opportunity was to use this insight to reignite the love affair for the iconic Taste by playfully investigating this legend and launching a private investigation in an entertaining way, celebrating that people will do anything for the Taste.  

We deployed an earned first approach, designed to reinforce the position of that iconic KFC Taste in the hearts and minds of South Africans.

Brief (Specify if the brief was to come up with the creative (your own idea) or to amplify an existing creative idea (inherited creative for amplification)

Born from the insight that some will do anything for the taste of KFC, even pose as a fake food inspector to get the iconic Taste for free. This PR-led campaign, began by announcing that KFC had hired a private investigator, PI Beckett Mathunzi, to track down the fake KFC food inspector and the validity of the urban legend. In a brave but calculated move, the PR campaign positioned this as a news story that while fun and tongue-in-cheek, still hit the headlines of serious news outlets, media networks and the imagination of the general public.

Re-engaging with journalists who previously covered the urban legend story of the fake KFC food inspector served as a launch pad for a tiered distribution strategy for the idea.

Key Media insights:

• Media can be playful as long as the relationship between the PR agency and journalist is trusted/can be co-opted into joining in the fun.

• Niche, online publications seed quirky stories which attract high levels of engagement with mainstream media, covering and extending our reach.

Key Objectives:

• Increase talkability and drive participation for the fake food inspector

• Build hype and views for the PI Diaries & cinematic film

Our PR strategy used traditional media to highlight the journey the private investigator took, weaving subtle clues into content to give journalists a lead to follow on the campaign journey. Once the story ran across earned platforms, it was amplified by mobilising a paid media/influencer strategy.

We first seeded media releases to niche sites well known for their quirky and off-the-wall content. With an in-depth understanding of the South African media landscape and strong media relationships, we knew mainstream media would eventually run the story too.

We used that small window to break the story before the news agenda moved on, by activating our relationships with national media outlets. Once the story broke, it spread like media wildfire, across broadcast and online platforms covering the story.

After 24 hours, paid media and influencers extended the story’s shelf life. Led by a three-part investigative web series, “P.I Diaries” was designed to keep the media and public intrigued by the investigation. At the story’s peak, a cinematic piece on YouTube closed out the campaign, exploring the antics of the infamous fake food inspector himself.

Media received multimedia emailers, driving them to watch the three-part series & film.

Major online news and consumer sites generated 70% of all coverage. Many of these platforms also broke the story on their social pages, which further amplified the story.   

Broadcast coverage made up 15% of campaign, with 79% of broadcast coverage from commercial and regional radio with large listenership.  

Print totaled 15%, with 93% coming from dailies. Strong coverage from Caxton newspapers gave KFC deep reach into urban and rural communities.   

Positive sentiment was more than 90%. 

Across social media, 1,3k users used the hashtag, with a reach of 4.1 million people and 39 million total impressions. Each PI Diaries episode on YouTube attracted over 1 million views, with user comments showing high levels of engagement.  

A total AVE of just under R2 million, with an estimated circulation of 12 million people with a total of 93 unique clips generated in a week. 

At its peak, the “Anything for the Taste” campaign contributed to an uplift of 18% Same Store Sales Growth, with KFC moving from last in the KLA survey to being voted the country’s number 1 on Taste over their competitors.