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KFC brings Plucka Duck back to life as ‘the Surfin’ Bird’ in first ever branding campaign

KFC Plucka DuckKFC has launched its first ever brand ad, abandoning its previous focus on sharing chicken with friends and family, and resurrecting Plucka Duck – a popular character from iconic Australian variety show, Hey Hey It’s Saturday.

The work, by Ogilvy, moves the brand away from its traditional product to offer led advertising into a new realm where there is no mention of KFC until the very end.

It also resurrects KFC’s famous ‘Finger Lickin’ Good’ tagline.

Both ads – a 30 and 60 seconds version – show Plucka Duck, made famous as the prize-giving character on the popular variety show Hey Hey It’s Saturday, which ran from 1971 to 1999, skateboarding down a winding mountain road to the thumping 1964 track ‘Surfin’ Bird’ by the Trashmen.

At the end of the ad Plucka stops to take in the view as the super reads: ‘Life should always be… Finger Lickin’ Good’.

Ogilvy group creative director Shaun Branagan admitted that some people might find the new KFC ad confusing after years of product advertising.

“We realise that many people might see the creative and think ‘What? A duck on a skateboard for KFC?’,” said Branagan.

“But for a brand that traditionally has focused on its food and a company with a history of being original, it was important [that] KFC’s first foray into brand advertising was designed to provoke.

“As a result, the first element of the campaign is a deliberate mash-up 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.”

KFC chief marketing and development officer Nikki Lawson, said the time had come to place the marketing focus on the brand.

“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,” said Lawson.

Credits:

The campaign launches on TV this weekend and will be followed by cinema and online support in coming weeks.

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

Simon Canning

 

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