Aussie TV icon Plucka Duck stars in KFC’s new finger lickin’ brand campaign via Ogilvy, Sydney
In a break from product-based advertising, this weekend KFC is set to launch its first-ever major brand campaign in Australia, developed by Ogilvy Sydney, aimed at bringing its values to life and connecting customers to the ethos of its founder, Colonel Sanders.
Based on a saying from the Colonel that ‘life should always be finger lickin’ good’, the new campaign is about conveying a philosophy that life is to be lived. And that it’s best lived when people are being true to themselves.
To help celebrate the concept, Australian television personality Plucka Duck returns to the small screen starring in the campaign’s launch TVC; a character that exemplifies the brand’s confident, and completely original characteristics. Plucka has not been seen on Australian television since Hey Hey It’s Saturday ceased broadcasting .
Says Shaun Branagan, group creative director, Ogilvy Sydney: “We realise that many people might see the creative and think ‘ What? A duck on a skateboard for KFC?.
“But for a brand that traditionally has focussed on its food, and a company with a history of being original, it was important KFC’s first foray into brand advertising was designed to provoke. As a result, the first element of the campaign is a deliberate mashup of pop culture icons; the mischievous Plucka Duck, who was always up for a stunt no matter how madcap, and longboard skateboarding which encapsulates sheer exhilaration and freedom. All set to a legendary surf punk music track that was a smash hit in its day and more recently on Family Guy, with the lyrics ‘the bird is the word’ which of course is Aussie slang for KFC. It all represents the unique and original that is the KFC brand.”
Nikki Lawson, chief marketing and development Officer KFC SOPAC said the new campaign was the first time that KFC has clearly stated its brand purpose in Australia, and launched work that did not focus on its chicken as a visual centrepoint.
Says Lawson: “We know that Australians love KFC’s chicken, but we wanted to ensure that affection extended to the KFC brand itself. So we looked to its founder, Colonel Sanders to get to the heart of what the KFC brand stands for. It was his original recipe, values and life embracing approach that continue to shine today.
“Life moves at a fast pace and there seems to be a greater need to fit-in, and conform with everyone else, and sometimes a bit of our uniqueness, what makes us special, can get suppressed. We want everyone to celebrate their originality. The new campaign explores this concept, clearly connecting it back to the KFC brand.”
Ogilvy Sydney was responsible for developing the strategy and all executions including TVCs, cinema, website, digital display, social and digital content. The digital elements and TVCs are live from this weekend, and cinema goes live next week (January 28).
Strategy and creative – Ogilvy Sydney
Shaun Branagan – Creative Director
Scott Sparks – Senior Art Director
Jenny Mak – Senior Copywriter
Ryan O’Connell – Deputy Head of Strategy
Executive Business Director – Leigh Bignell
Group Account Director – Katie Dally
Account Director -Elaine Arthur
Account Manager – Anna Michael
Media planning and buying – Mediacom
PR – Edelman
Production Company – Interrogate
Director – Ash Bolland
Executive Producer – Tara Riddell
DOP – Lachlan Milne
Editorial – The Editors
Online – Cutting Edge
VFX Artist – Jonathan Hairman
Producer – Aaron Dexter
Audio Post – Rumble Studios
Sound Engineer – Nat Joyce
Producer – Jessica Hamilton
Agency Producer – Amanda Bennie
Online – Cutting Edge Sydney
Post Production Executive Producer – Samantha Daley
Post Producer – Aaron Dexter
VFX Supervisor – Jonathan Hairman
45 Comments
I’m loving it
Huh?
He’s not a chicken, or a cow.
Great – brave and different and fun. Well done Ogilvy and KFC. LIKE
Great. Shame the “Life should always be…” line is there though. Great nonetheless.
Weird and awesome
So good.
brilliant.
So he’s longboarding in Europe and he’s a duck. This made no sense, what waste of weird.
Ha. Nice work JMak. Good to see Plucka back.
Young people love this stuff!
…Except young people don’t know who Plucka Duck is… :/
But I for one, love it. Best way to advertise KFC, is to not show KFC in my opinion!
Kentucky Fried what?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WNrx2jq184
this is great – nice work dudes
It’s NZ
What a ducking useless ad for KFC that was.
I love the weirdness and lack of any explanantion, but just wish it wasn’t Plucka.
An anonymous bird would have been so much cooler.
I’m guessing down the track Plucka will be used to shill, but it would have been purer without him.
Kentucky Fried Duck?
haven’t used the term ‘try hard’ for a while but that’s what comes to mind watching this
Hay buddy!
Much prefer it over the crap ’emotional connection’ shite they’ve been doing the last few years.
Still not great but shit, if they can do this for KFC, imagine what they could do with a decent client.
Does the Ogilvy ECD have a comment? I notice his name is not in the credits.
As a foreigner working in Australia, nothing could have prepared me for how conservative marketers are here. Most are quick to point a finger at the clients, but the fight to produce anything decent starts long before presentation day.
So if you ask me, the fact that they got to make this ad is a win by itself. However, there is something missing.The emotion doesn’t come through. Seems like we’ll forever be chasing a ‘Cadbury’s Gorilla’.
Best spot in a such a long time! It’s a classic. Well done Ogilvy! Finally giving Melbs a run for is $$$. I hope it inspires more creative driven work in this town.
Which mountain is this filmed?
This mountain looks like mount Evans in colorado
It looks like the road coming down from the Remarkables, Queenstown, NZ.
Where is it filmed ?
It’s filmed in N.Z. Coming down coronet peak Rd. Near the remarkables.
It looks like the road between Wanaka and Queenstown. Crown Range Road coming towards Queenstown from Cardrona.
So you put a duck on a skateboard and sent them down a mountain.
There’s something to be said that it’s not some lifestyle enriched by the happiness of fried chicken thing showing hot 20 year old somethings sharing a bucket of KFC, but if we’re going to celebrate this as an achievement in breaking the conservative nature of the industry in Australia then we really have a long, long, long way to go.
Saw this being filmed in NZ month before xmas stay tuned I can assure you that there are more adds to follow 🙂 well done KFC..! Made Australia proud..!!!
I’m celebrating.
Brilliant, Butcher.
Superb. Outstanding.
Degree of difficulty: 10.
Reminds me of the skating scene in the movie the Secret life of Walter Mitty
Loved this ad and loved seeing Plucka – whoops showing my age. Not a fan of KFC, hopefully they’re adding peking duck pancakes to their menu.
Good bloody work Mr Sparks.
Is it filmed on the rim of the world highway? Love the commercial
Just bring hey hey back…it’s what we want…and the kids will ultimately like it….
Where in NZ was this filmed?
Partner says crown range but I don’t think so
Really? Everyone thinking this spot is so cool, have you lost your shit or what?? Showing a duck boarding down a hill outside Queenstown when they are advertising chicken seems a stretch way too long for me. Like running a piece on tomato’s but filming lettuce instead. Anyway it’s a steal, everyone knows Brian Griffin has the best take on the song. What next – Advertising Honda’s but filming Toyota’s ???
It’s a duck promoting fried chicken. Yeah I get it. Made total sense to me.
It’s Aussie, it’s Plucka and I’m loving it…
Why is Pluck a Duck on a chicken 🍗 add? should have used the cartoon character Foghorn Leghorn instead, would make more sense.
Plu ka is carniverous? Who knew? 🙂
Skating kids in the 17-20 year range are cool with the scenery & skating (plus kudos to the guy in the suit) but aren’t seeing the connection to (or interest in) KFC. Admittedly I only had a few to ask but good to know it’s not just me going WTF??? 🙂
you ever called kfc kentucky ducky?