The Colonel makes them a drumstick they can’t refuse
Every time Colonel Sanders tries to get out, they pull him back in. Despite being dead since 1980, the KFC founder lives on in its advertising; this time he’s a chicken don of sorts in a new U.K. campaign from Mother. The campaign is anchored by a 60-second spot showing the Colonel cruising through a place called “Chicken Town” in a massive 70s sedan, noting off-brand challengers with names like LFC, QFC, RFC and Houston Fried Chicken.
The spot is soundtracked by a specially commissioned performance of Nino Rota’s iconic “Love Theme” (best known as the theme from The Godfather) by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. It concludes with a voiceover that says, “A word to the wise, there’s only one Colonel in Chicken Town.” Presumably, some of these competitors are going to wake up to find chicken heads in their beds.
The campaign’s out-of-home elements are a little less Godfather-esque, showing a collection of the various fried chicken restaurants whose names play on the KFC initials, accompanied by the words “Guys, we’re flattered” and the KFC logo.
Coors Light introduces smart tap fuelled by Bud Light’s ‘negativity’
MillerCoors wants to “Refresh the Conversation” in its acrimonious battle with AB InBev over claims it uses corn syrup in the brewing process for its Coors Light and Miller Light brands. That battle that is now heading to court.
On Friday, MillerCoors introduced a new “smart tap” called “The Coors Light” in select bars across the U.S. Timed to coincide with March Madness, the Coors tap monitors Bud Light’s activity on social and broadcast TV and lights up whenever it detects Bud Light attack ads, signalling a free round of Coors Light for bar patrons.
MillerCoors set up the tap at five bars in New York, Philadelphia, Dallas, Omaha and Las Vegas. It also partnered with “key accounts” across the country to dispense free beer whenever a Bud Light appears on their on-premise TVs.
“Bud Light has been attacking us out of frustration for weeks now,” said Ryan Reis, vice-president of brand marketing, for the Coors family of brands. “We believe people just want to move on. So we invented this smart beer tap that does the listening for them—and even better, turns Bud Light’s negativity into rounds of Coors Light on us.”
Burger King’s scorched ad policy
Burger King in Brazil is roasting its competitors’ ads with a new promotion for its BK Express service.
The “Burn That Ad” promotion from David invites people to use a special feature on the BK app to virtually burn away its rivals’ billboards, digital ads, etc. whenever they encounter them.
When the ad is burned away, users receive a notification that they have received a free Whopper. Burger King says it expects to give away 500,000 Whoppers.
The British Army’s appeal to “snowflakes” and “me, me, me millennials” worked
The British Army‘s controversial 2019 recruitment campaign featuring ads targeted to “snowflakes,” “me, me, me millennials” and “phone zombies” has led to its best recruitment numbers in several years according to a report by The Drum.
The “Your Army Needs You” campaign from Karmarama sparked vigorous debate for ads referencing common perceptions of younger people. Media personality Piers Morgan—never one to shy away from an opportunity to grandstand—described it as an “assault on modern masculinity,” while one of the soldiers who appeared in an ad mentioning “snowflakes” threatened to quit, claiming he was unaware of the tone and style of the campaign.
The Drum reports that Q1 is on track to be the army’s busiest three-month recruiting period for at least seven years, with more than 1,000 more recruits signing up this year versus the corresponding period last year.
It also says that more than 1.5 million people visited the army’s website in January, more than twice as many as in the same month last year. However, The Guardian also reports the Army’s media strategy included targeting young people on the first weekend of the new year “when the ‘January blues’ are setting in.”
Creed Bratton: musician, turned actor, turned failed jingle writer
In what just might be the most “meta” campaign of the year, Fruit of the Loom has turned to musician-turned-actor Creed Bratton for a new campaign promoting its Breathable Boxer Briefs.
Bratton, who played the oddball character of the same name in the popular U.S. sitcom The Office, first came to fame as a member of the ’60s folk-rock act The Grass Roots (who scored two U.S. hits with “Let’s Live For Today” and “Midnight Confessions”). The premise of the campaign from CPB is simple: Fruit of the Loom wants Bratton to write a jingle for its Breathable Boxer Briefs.
Things start off okay (Bratton’s first effort is “I got little holes. Breathable boxer briefs”), but quickly go downhill, culminating with Bratton clad in nothing more than a pair of Fruit of the Loom boxers. That’s when Fruit of the Loom decides that maybe it’s best to let the public write the jingle, directing them to Fruit.com/jingle.
That’s what you get when you hire a guy who just might have been the Scranton Strangler.
