So Many Fun Touches in This Paranoid KFC Ad

Is some mysterious space agency monitoring our fast-food consumption? So many times, I’ve chomped Coleslaw and pondered that very question.

Now we have an answer, thanks to MullenLowe’s mildly paranoid new spot for KFC.

Fun visual nuggets abound in a :30 created with directing collaborative Kinopravda. Appropriately enough, the work hypes chicken nuggets, faves around the neighborhood … and deep inside mission control.

“We wanted to take the idea of craveability to the max. Dial ‘want’ all the way up to ‘need-right-this-second,'” says agency creative director Lindsei Barros. “Add in suburbia and some lighthearted chaos and what do you get? A product launch that’s cinematic, fast-paced and FUN.”

Usually, overheated press-release quotes aren’t especially accurate. But the above description really does put this commercial in perspective.

Odd camera angles, weird facial expressions, a freaky topiary horse and spontaneously combusting barbecue grill … the word for such stuff is “dreamlike.” Yes, lots of ads are dreamlike. Or try to be. But most fail to actually hold viewers’ attention long enough to communicate a brand message.

Here, however, there’s a mini-feast for the eyes that rewards repeat viewings. It’s colorful and cheeky. Also derivative and self-consciously silly, which work in its favor. Savor the faux-Stranger Things vibe as tangy as a mouthful of honey mustard sauce. (Talk about overheated language.)

Moreover—though surely in spite of itself—the approach speaks to our always-on interface of meals, media and manic connectivity. Life’s like a branded dream. Everyone’s watching everything all time. Swipe right on Colonel Sanders. Pass the KFC!

CREDITS

AGENCY: MullenLowe     
Executive Creative Director: Tim Vaccarino              
Group Creative Director: Enrique Camacho              
Creative Director/Copywriter: Tanya Wilson            
Creative Director/Art: Lindsei Barros          
Group Executive Producer: Karen Leiper Haffmans
Senior Producer: Holly Langley     
Associate Director, Business Affairs: Jennifer Wrentmore    
Project Management Supervisor: Tatiana Bueno    
Project Manager: Christine Carugati           
Group Strategy Director: Mike Cassell        
Strategy Director: Jasmin Esquivel               
Group Account Director: Cameron Burnham            
Account Director: Charlie Doyle   
Senior Account Executive: Lia Rivera           

PRODUCTION COMPANY: Kinopravda @ Imposter              
Director: Kinopravda        
Executive Producer: Avtar Khalsa 
Head of Production: Todd Ruhnau               
Producer: Taeko Masuyama          
Director of Photography: Damian Acevedo               

PRODUCTION SERVICE COMPANY: The Lift               
Founding Partner: Avelino Rodriguez         
Managing Partner: Jose Barrera   
Producer: Helena Medina               

POST PRODUCTION: Lost Planet 
Editor:   Bruce Herrman  
Head of Production / Post Supervisor: Kirsten Anderson      

COLOR CORRECT: Ethos  
Colorist: Kaitlyn Battistelli              
Producer: Nat Tereshchenko         

AUDIO POST: Sonic Union        
Engineer: Steve Rosen     
Post Producer: Gina Petrarca        

MUSIC: Singing Serpent 
Composer: Antonio Vivaldi            
Producer: Dennis Culp     
Arranger/Principal Violinist: Andrew Joslyn