Kentucky. 1952. Colonel Sanders is spotted in his “lab,” meticulously preparing a bucket of delicious tenders. The passion with which he works to deliver the crispy food is reflected in the elegant moves that the man has when cooking: Through sophisticated gestures, which merge in what seems to look like a dance performance with choreography synced to the music produced by HRCLS, Havas Paris’ integrated production house, the man works tirelessly for his dish to be memorable. He tastes the prepared food, triggering a crispy sound that echoes outside his kitchen. Satisfied with the results, the man delivers the bucket of crispy tenders to a couple waiting in a KFC drive-thru, in 2021.
How is it possible that what the colonel prepared 69 years ago be enjoyed by today’s young people? The answer can be found at Havas Paris, which presents its first campaign for KFC France through an ode to crispiness and the fast-food chain’s delicious crispy chicken.
After having won over the brand last November, the agency decided to mark its first campaign for KFC France with a “Crispy” video that takes viewers back in time, exactly in the year when the fast-food chain was founded. But even though we are sent back almost seven decades ago, we witness Colonel Sanders “in better shape than ever,” says the agency in a press release, who “has never been so authentic, cool, and funky.”
The new campaign is inaugurated by the 45-second-long video, directed by Vincent Lobelle, propelling us back in time only to see that KFC treats kept their crispiness throughout the time. The original soundtrack, named “Crispy,” links the past and the present, “and will become the emblem and common thread of the brand’s statements throughout the year,” continues the agency. The audio recipe for the film uses as ingredients some hip-hop beats and a lot of crispy chicken and can be served in Spotify or Deezer “buckets.”
In addition to the brand film, a poster campaign, product films, and social activations will be included in the communication plan, with a media plan signed by Carat France. The objective of KFC France is to double the number of restaurants in the country to 600 within five years.
Credits:
Client: KFC France
Chief Marketing Officer: Isabelle HERMAN
Head of Advertising & Media: Pierre CAILLEAU
Head of Brand Communication: Guillaume SAEZ
Senior Brand Manager: Géraldine NEVEÜ
Digital & Brand Manager: Camille BEGHIN
Agency: Havas Paris
Creative Director: Christophe COFFRE
Art Director: Jordan MOLINA
Copywriter: Ludovic MIÈGE
Print and digital Art Directors: Didier RICHARTH, Jean-Yves DEL VOLGO, Robin DE HARO
Strategic planners: Romain ROUX, Samia GAUVARD
Account managers: Patrick LECERF, Caroline SU, Aymeric VALADAS, Claire BOUVET
Production: Carine PETIT, Géraldine TISSERANT
Head of Social Media: Ludovic CHEVALLIER
Social media Creative Director: Leah MORSE
Social media art director: Juanita ARENAS PEDRAZA
Social media copywriter: Nathan GRÉGOIR
Community manager: Pierre LE DAMANY
CRISPY’ FILM PRODUCTION: ICONOCLAST
TV Producer: Benjamin BESNAINOU
Realization: Vincent LOBELLE
Producer: Jean DUHAMEL
VFX: Poster
Post-production manager: Cyril BOURDESOULLE
Post-production: Poster
Sound Post-production: HRCLS
Sound Post-production: Ivan Jovanovic
Sound producer: Alexis VENOT
Music composition: HRCLS
Culinary stylist: Valery DROUET
PRODUCTS’ FILMS and PRINTS PRODUCTION
TV Producer: Ingrid VASSEUR
Art buying: Sylvie GAZAIX
Production: Mad Agency
Realization: Pepe LANSKY
Photographer: Charly DESLANDES
Producer: Jimmy HALFON
VFX: Reepost
Post-prod manager: Antoine DAUBERT
Post-production: Reepost
Sound Post-production: HRCLS
Chief Operator: François STARR
Culinary stylist: Valery DROUET